Apocope

Inphonology,apocope(/əˈpɒkəpi/^[1]^[2]) is the loss (elision) of a word-finalvowel.In a broader sense, the term can refer to the loss of any final sound (includingconsonants) from a word.^[3]

Academiclinguiststerm the resultant word-form (following the operation of apocope) anapocopation.

Etymology

Apocopecomes from theGreekἀποκοπή(apokopḗ) fromἀποκόπτειν(apokóptein) "cutting off", fromἀπο-(apo-) "away from" andκόπτειν(kóptein) "to cut".

Historical sound change

Inhistorical linguistics,apocopeis often the loss of an unstressed vowel.

Loss of an unstressed vowel or vowel and nasal

Latinmare→ Portuguesemar(sea)
Vulgar Latinpanem→ Spanishpan(bread)
Vulgar Latinlupum→ Frenchloup(wolf)
Proto-Germanic*landą→Old,Middle,and Modern Englishland
Old Englishlufu→ Modern Englishlove(noun)
Old Englishlufian→ Modern Englishlove(verb)
The loss of a final unstressed vowel is a feature ofsouthern dialects of Māoriin comparison to standard Māori, for example the termkainga(village) is rendered in southern Māori askaik.A similar feature is seen in theGallo-Italic languages.

Loss of other sounds

Non-rhoticEnglish accents, including BritishReceived Pronunciation,suppress the finalrin each syllable (except when it is followed by a vowel). (In most accents, the suppressedrlengthens ormodifies the preceding vowel.)
French pronunciationsuppresses the final consonant of most words(but itis normally pronounced as aliaisonat the beginning of the following wordin the sentence if the latter word begins with a vowel or with an unaspirated 'h').

Case marker

InEstonianand theSami languages,apocopes explain the forms of grammatical cases. For example, anominativeis described as having apocope of the final vowel, but thegenitivedoes not have it. Throughout its history, however, the genitive case marker has also undergone apocope: Estonianlinn( "a city" ) andlinna( "of a city" ) are derived fromlinnaandlinnanrespectively, as can still be seen in the correspondingFinnishword.

In the genitive form, the final/n/,while it was being deleted, blocked the loss of/a/.InColloquial Finnish,the final vowel is sometimes omitted from case markers.

Grammatical rule

Some languages have apocopations that are internalized as mandatory forms. InSpanishandItalian,for example, someadjectivesthat come before thenounlose the final vowel or syllable if they precede a noun (mainly) in themasculine singularform. In Spanish, someadverbsandcardinalandordinal numbershave apocopations as well.

Adjectives
- grande( "big, great" ) →gran→gran mujer(feminine) ( "great woman". However, if the adjective follows the noun, the final syllable remains, but the meaning may also change:mujer grande,meaning "large woman" )
- bueno( "good" ) →buen→buen hombre(masculine) ( "good man"; the final vowel remains inhombre bueno,with no accompanying change in meaning)
Adverbs
- tanto( "so much" ) →tan( "so" ) →tan hermoso( "so beautiful" )
Cardinal numbers
- uno( "one, a, an" ) →un→un niño( "a child" )
- ciento( "hundred" ) →cien→Cien años de soledad( "One hundred years of solitude")
Ordinal numbers
- primero( "first" ) →primer→primer premio( "first prize" )
- tercero( "third" ) →tercer→tercer lugar( "third place" )
- postrero( "final" ) →postrer→postrer día( "final day" )

References

^"Apocope".Oxford DictionariesUK English Dictionary.Oxford University Press.^{[dead link]}
^"Apocope".Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Retrieved2016-01-21.
^Campbell, Lyle (2007).Glossary of Historical Linguistics.Edinburgh University Press. p. 13.ISBN 978-0-7486-3019-6.

Crowley, Terry. (1997)An Introduction to Historical Linguistics.3rd edition. Oxford University Press.

External links

World Wide Words: Apocope

[1] "Apocope".Oxford DictionariesUK English Dictionary.Oxford University Press.^{[dead link]}

[2] "Apocope".Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Retrieved2016-01-21.

[:0-3] Campbell, Lyle (2007).Glossary of Historical Linguistics.Edinburgh University Press. p. 13.ISBN 978-0-7486-3019-6.

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