Elision

:For the music term, see elision (music).

Related Topics:
Music - Elision (music)

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Elision is the omission of one or more sounds (such as a vowel, a consonant, or a whole syllable) in a word or phrase, producing a result usually considered easier, or more euphonic, for the speaker to pronounce.

Related Topics:
Vowel - Consonant - Syllable - Euphonic

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Elision may be deliberate or accidental, the latter often caused by the speaker being unfamiliar with the sounds. The sound may be slurred or muted. Elision from a few syllables often happens by the illiterate.

Related Topics:
Slur - Mute - Illiterate

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The elided form of a word or phrase may become a standard alternative for the full form if used often. In English this is called a contraction.

Related Topics:
English - Contraction

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A synonym for elision is syncope. This term is most often associated with the elision of vowels between consonants (cf Latin tabula ? Spanish tabla). Another form of elision is aphesis, which means elision at the beginning of a word (generally of an unstressed vowel).

Related Topics:
Syncope - Aphesis

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The opposite of elision is epenthesis, whereby sounds are inserted into a word to ease pronunciation.

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