sandhi
Noun: A phonological process in which the sound at the end of one word or morpheme changes because of the sound at the beginning of the next word or morpheme. This occurs primarily in fluent, connected speech to make pronunciation easier and more natural.
Sandhi is a technical linguistic term. It describes a specific, automatic sound change that happens when words are spoken together in a sequence. It is not a conscious choice by the speaker but a natural result of fluent articulation.
- The change from "a" to "an" before a vowel sound, as in "a apple" becoming , is a common example of sandhi in English.
- In French, liaison is a type of sandhi where a normally silent consonant at the end of a word is pronounced before a following word that begins with a vowel, as in (pronounced /le.z‿a.mi/).
- In Sanskrit and other languages, complex sandhi rules systematically modify word-final and word-initial sounds.
- External Sandhi: Refers to sound changes that occur (between separate words). The "a/an" alternation is external sandhi.
- Internal Sandhi: Refers to sound changes that occur (between its meaningful parts). An example is the pronunciation of the plural "-s" as /s/ in "cats" but as /z/ in "dogs."
- Liaison (n): A specific type of external sandhi, particularly associated with French, where a latent final consonant is pronounced.
- Elision (n): The omission of a sound or syllable in speech (e.g., "I am" becoming "I'm"). This is often a related or resulting process from sandhi conditions.
- Phonological alternation
- Connected speech phenomenon
Sandhi is a core concept in phonology and the study of specific languages. It explains why the written form of a word or phrase might differ from its spoken, connected form. Understanding sandhi is key to achieving natural pronunciation and comprehension in fluent speech.
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the articulatory process whereby the pronunciation of a word or morpheme changes when it is followed immediately by another (especially in fluent speech)
