elízió

Elízió is a phonological process in linguistics where a sound, typically a vowel, is omitted at the end of a word when it is followed by a word that begins with a vowel. This phenomenon is common in many languages, particularly those with a high frequency of vowel-initial words. For example, in French, "le ami" (the friend) becomes "l'ami" through elision, with the 'e' from "le" being dropped. Similarly, in Italian, "la amica" (the friend) becomes "l'amica". This process helps to create a smoother flow of speech and avoid awkward consonant-vowel or vowel-vowel juxtapositions.

The specific rules and extent of elision vary between languages. Some languages have mandatory elision in certain contexts, while others have it as an optional stylistic choice. The apostrophe is often used in writing to indicate where elision has occurred, marking the omitted vowel. While primarily affecting vowels, some languages may also exhibit elision of certain consonants, though this is less common. The study of elision is important for understanding the phonological structure and evolution of languages, as well as for accurate pronunciation and transcription.