apokopa

Apokopa is a linguistic phenomenon referring to the omission of one or more sounds or syllables from the end of a word. It is a type of ellipsis, a broader term for omitting parts of a sentence or word. Apokopa can occur naturally in spoken language as words are sometimes shortened for ease of pronunciation or flow, especially in rapid speech. It can also be a deliberate stylistic choice in poetry or rhetoric for rhythmic or emphatic purposes.

Examples of apokopa can be found across various languages. In English, informal speech might see words like "afternoon" shortened to "aft" or "laboratory" to "lab". While these are informal shortenings, true apokopa often results in the complete loss of a final sound or syllable that was once present. For instance, the Latin word "amicus" (friend) in some Romance languages evolved through apokopa to become "ami" in French. The process is not random; it often affects specific types of sounds or syllable structures, and its predictability can vary greatly depending on the language and its historical development. Scholars study apokopa to understand sound change and the evolution of language.