Attic more than any other dialect disliked the immediate succession of two vowel sounds in adjoining syllables. To avoid such succession, which often arose in the formation and inflection of words, various means were employed: contraction (48 ff.), when the vowels collided in the middle of a word; or, when the succession occurred between two words (hiatus), by crasis (62 ff.), elision (70 ff.), aphaeresis (76), or by affixing a movable consonant at the end of the former word (134).
Hiatus is usually avoided in prose writers by elision (70 ff.); but in cases where elision is not possible, hiatus is allowed to remain by different writers in different degrees, commonly after short words, such as ὦ, εἰ, ἤ, καί, μή, and the forms of the article.
Contraction unites in a single long vowel or diphthong two vowels or a vowel and a diphthong standing next each other in successive syllables in the same word.
a. Occasion for contraction is made especially by the concurrence of vowel sounds which were once separated by ς, υ̯ (ϝ), and ι̯ (17, 20 a).
The following are the chief rules governing contraction:
(II) Like Vowels.—Like vowels, whether short or long, unite in the common long; εε, οο become ει, ου (6): γέραα = γέρᾱ, φιλέητε = φιλῆτε; ἐφίλεε = ἐφίλει, δηλόομεν = δηλοῦμεν.
a.ι is rarely contracted with ι (ὀφι + ιδιον = ὀφῑ́διονsmall snake) or υ with υ (ῡ̔́ςson in inscriptions, from ὑ(ι)ύς = υἱός, 43).
(III) Unlike Vowels.—Unlike vowels are assimilated, either the second to the first (progressive assimilation) or the first to the second (regressive assimilation).
a. An o sound always prevails over an a or e sound: ο or ω before or after α, and before η, forms ω. οε and εο form ου (a spurious diphthong, 6). Thus, τῑμάομεν = τῑμῶμεν, αἰδόα = αἰδῶ, ἥρωα = ἥρω, τῑμάω = τῑμῶ, δηλόητε = δηλῶτε; but φιλέομεν = φιλοῦμεν, δηλόετον = δηλοῦτον.
b. When α and ε or η come together the vowel sound that precedes prevails, and we have ᾱ or η: ὅραε = ὅρᾱ, τῑμάητε = τῑ́μᾶτε, ὄρεα = ὄρη.
c. υ rarely contracts: υ + ι = ῡ in ἰχθῡ́διον from ἰχθυίδιονsmall fish;υ + ε strictly never becomes ῡ (273).
A vowel before a diphthong not beginning with the same sound generally contracts with the first vowel of the diphthong; the last vowel, if ι, is subscript (5): τῑμάει = τῑμᾷ, τῑμάοιμεν = τῑμῷμεν, λείπεαι = λείπῃ, μεμνηοίμην = μεμνῴμην.
a. But ε + οι becomes οι: φιλέοι = φιλοῖ;ο + ει, ο + ῃ become οι: δηλόει = δηλοῖ, δηλόῃ = δηλοῖ.
Spurious ει and ου are treated like ε and ο: τῑμάειν = τῑμᾶν, δηλόειν = δηλοῦν, τῑμάουσι = τῑμῶσι (but τῑμάει = τῑμᾷ and δηλόει = δηλοῑ, since ει is here genuine; 6).
(V) Three Vowels.—When three vowels come together, the last two unite first, and the resulting diphthong may be contracted with the first vowel: thus, τῑμᾷ is from τῑμα-ῃ out of τῑμα-ε(σ)αι; but Περικλέους from Περικλέεος.
Irregularities.—A short vowel preceding α or any long vowel or diphthong, in contracts of the first and second declensions, is apparently absorbed (235, 290): χρῡ́σεα = χρῡσᾶ (not χρῡσῆ), ἁπλόα = ἁπλᾶ (not ἁπλῶ), by analogy to the α which marks the neuter plural, χρῡσέαις = χρῡσαῖς. (So ἡμέας = ἡμᾶς to show the -ας of the accus. pl.) Only in the singular of the first declension does εᾱ become η (or ᾱ after a vowel or ρ): χρῡσέᾱς = χρῡσῆς, ἀργυρέᾳ = ἀργυρᾷ. In the third declension εεα becomes εᾱ (265); ιεα or υεα becomes ιᾱ (υᾱ) or ιη (υη). See 292 d.
Various special cases will be considered under their appropriate sections.
The contraction of a long vowel with a short vowel sometimes does not occur by reason of analogy. Thus, νηΐ (two syllables) follows νηός, the older form of νεώς (275). Sometimes the long vowel was shortened (39) or transfer of quantity took place (34).
Vowels that were once separated by ς or ι̯ (20) are often not contracted in dissyllabic forms, but contracted in polysyllabic forms. Thus, θε(σ)όςgod, but ΘουκῡδίδηςThucydides (θεός + κῦδοςglory).
In poetry two vowels, or a vowel and a diphthong, belonging to successive syllables may unite to form a single syllable in pronunciation, but not in writing. Thus, βέλεαmissiles, πόλεωςcity, Πηληϊάδεωson of Peleus, χρῡσέῳgolden. This is called Synizēsis (συνίζησιςsettling together).
Synizesis may occur between two words when the first ends in a long vowel or diphthong. This is especially the case with δήnow, ἤor, ἦ (interrog.), μήnot, ἐπείsince, ἐγώI, ὦoh; as ἦ οὐ O 18.
a. The term synizesis is often restricted to cases where the first vowel is long. Where the first vowel is short, ε, ι were sounded nearly like y; υ nearly like ω. Cp. 44 a. The single syllable produced by synizesis is almost always long.
Crasis (κρᾶσιςmingling) is the contraction of a vowel or diphthong at the end of a word with a vowel or diphthong beginning the following word. Over the syllable resulting from contraction is placed a ' called corōnis (κορωνίςhook), as τᾱ̓́λλα from τὰ ἄλλαthe other things, the rest.
a. The coronis is not written when the rough breathing stands on the first word: ὁ ἄνθρωπος = ᾱ̔́νθρωπος.
b. Crasis does not occur when the first vowel may be elided. (Some editors write τἄλλα, etc.)
Crasis occurs in general only between words that belong together; and the first of the two words united by crasis is usually the less important; as the article, relative pronoun (ὅ, ἅ), πρό, καί, δή, ὦ. Crasis occurs chiefly in poetry.
a. It is rare in Hom., common in the dialogue parts of the drama (especially in comedy), and frequent in the orators.
Iota subscript (5) appears in the syllable resulting from crasis only when the first syllable of the second word contains an ι: ἐγὼ οἶδα = ἐγᾦδαI know (but τῷ ὀργάνῳ = τὠργάνῳthe instrument, 68 a).
The rules for crasis are in general the same as those for contraction (48 ff.). Thus, τὸ ὄνομα = τοὔνομαthe name, ὁ ἐν = οὑν, ὦ ἄνερ = ὦνερoh man, πρὸ ἔχων = προὔχωνexcelling, τὸ ῑ̔μάτιον = θοἰμάτιονthe cloak (64), ἃ ἐγώ = ᾱ̔γώ.
But the following exceptions are to be noted (67-69):
The final vowel or diphthong of the article, and of τοί, is dropped, and an initial α of the next word is lengthened unless it is the first vowel of a diphthong. The same rule applies in part to καί.
c. καί.—(1) αι is dropped: καὶ αὐτός = καὐτός, καὶ οὐ = κοὐ, καὶ ἡ = χἠ, καὶ οἱ = χοἰ, καὶ ἱκετεύετε = χῑ̓κετεύετεand ye beseech (64). (2) αι is contracted chiefly before ε and ει: καὶ ἐν = κᾱ̓ν, καὶ ἐγώ = κᾱ̓γώ, καὶ ἐς = κᾱ̓ς, καὶ εἶτα = κᾆτα (note however καὶ εἰ = κεἰ, καὶ εἰς = κεἰς); also before ο in καὶ ὅτε = χὤτε. καὶ ὅπως = χὤπως (64).
N.—The exceptions in 68 a-c to the laws of contraction are due to the desire to let the vowel of the more important word prevail: ᾱ̔́νηρ, not ὡνηρ, because of ἀνήρ.
Most crasis forms of ἕτεροςother are derived from ἅτερος, the earlier form: thus, ὁ ἕτερος = ᾱ̔́τερος, οἱ ἕτεροι = ᾱ̔́τεροι; but τοῦ ἑτέρου = θοὐτέρου (64).
Elision is the expulsion of a short vowel at the end of a word before a word beginning with a vowel. An apostrophe (') marks the place where the vowel is elided.
a. Elision is often not expressed to the eye except in poetry. Both inscriptions and the Mss. of prose writers are very inconsistent, but even where the elision is not expressed, it seems to have occurred in speaking; i.e. ὅδε εἶπε and ὅδ᾽ εἶπε were spoken alike. The Mss. are of little value in such cases.
Elision affects only unimportant words or syllables, such as particles, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions of two syllables (except περί, ἄχρι, μέχρι, ὅτι 72 b, c), and the final syllables of nouns, pronouns, and verbs.
a. The final vowel of an emphatic personal pronoun is rarely elided.
αι in the personal endings and the infinitive is elided in Aristophanes; scarcely ever, if at all, in tragedy; its elision in prose is doubtful. οι is elided in tragedy in οἴμοιalas.
Interior elision takes place in forming compound words. Here the apostrophe is not used. Thus, οὐδείςno one from οὐδὲ εἷς, καθοράωlook down upon from κατὰ ὁράω, μεθῑ́ημιlet go from μετὰ ῑ̔́ημι (124).
a.ὁδῑ́, τουτῑ́this are derived from the demonstrative pronouns ὅδε, τοῦτο + the deictic ending ῑ (333 g).
b. Interior elision does not always occur in the formation of compounds. Thus, σκηπτοῦχοςsceptre-bearing from σκηπτο + οχος (i.e. σοχος). Cp. 878.
Aphaeresis (ἀφᾳίρεσιςtaking away) is the elision of ε at the beginning of a word after a word ending in a long vowel or diphthong. This occurs only in poetry, and chiefly after μήnot, ἤor. Thus, μὴ ᾽νταῦθα, ἢ ᾽μέ, παρέξω ᾽μαυτόν, αὐτὴ ᾽ξῆλθεν. In some texts editors prefer to adopt crasis (62) or synizesis (60). α is rarely elided thus.