Haplology

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Historical sound change
General
Metathesis
Dissimilation
Fortition
Lenition (weakening)
Sonorization (voicing)
Spirantization (assibilation)
Rhotacism
Debuccalization (loss of place)
Elision (loss)
Apheresis (initial)
Syncope (medial)
Apocope (final)
Haplology (similar syllables)
Fusion
Cluster reduction
Compensatory lengthening
Epenthesis (addition)
Anaptyxis (vowel)
Excrescence (consonant)
Prosthesis (initial)
Paragoge (final)
Unpacking
Vowel breaking
Assimilation
Coarticulation
Palatalization (before front vowels)
Labialization (before rounded vowels)
Final devoicing (before silence)
Vowel harmony
Consonant harmony
Cheshirisation (trace remains)
Nasalization
Tonogenesis
Floating tone
Sandhi (boundary change)
Crasis (contraction)
Liaison, linking R
Consonant mutation
Tone sandhi
Hiatus

Haplology is defined as the elimination of a syllable when two consecutive identical or similar syllables occur. The phenomenon was identified by American philologist Maurice Bloomfield in the 20th century.[1] Linguists sometimes jokingly refer to the phenomenon as "haplogy" (subjecting the word "haplology" to haplology).

Conditions
1) Syllables are both medial; and
2) The structure of the two syllables is similar.

[edit] Example

  • Basque: sagarrardo > sagardo 'apple cider'
  • English (colloquial):
    • Engla land > England [1]
    • particularly > particuly
    • pierced-ear earrings > pierced earrings [1]
    • probably > probly
  • Latin: nutritrix > nutrix 'nurse'

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 06, 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.