Syncope

a. The disappearance of ε before a vowel is often called hyphaeresis (ὑφαίρεσις omission). Thus Ionic νοσσός chick for νεοσσός, ὁρτή for ἑορτή festival; ἀδεῶς fearlessly for ἀδεέως. Here ε was sounded nearly like y and was not written.

Dissimilation.—a. λ sometimes becomes ρ when λ appears in the same word: ἀργαλέος painful for ἀλγαλεος (ἄλγος pain).

b. A consonant (usually ρ) sometimes disappears when it occurs also in the adjoining syllable: δρύφακτος railing for δρυ-φρακτος (lit. fenced by wood).

c. Syllabic dissimilation or syncope occurs when the same or two similar syllables containing the same consonant succeed each other: ἀμφορεύς a jar for ἀμφι-φορευς, θάρσυνος bold for θαρσο-συνος. This is often called haplology.

d. See also under 99, 125 a, b.

Vowel Gradation (35, 36).—Verbs of the first class show a variation between a strong grade (or two strong grades) and a weak grade. The weak grades, ῐ, ῠ, ᾰ, appear especially in the second aorist and second passive systems; the corresponding strong grades, ει (οι), ευ (ου), η (ω), appear usually in the other systems (οι, ου, ω, in the second perfect).

a. Expulsion of a short vowel between consonants (so-called syncope 493) produces a weak form of the stem of the same grade as ι, υ, α (36). Cp. γί-γν-ομαι become (aor. ἐ-γεν-ό-μην), ἐ-πτ-ό-μην (pres. πέτ-ο-μαι fly) with ἔ-λιπ-ο-ν, ἔ-φυγ-ο-ν, ἐ-τάκ-η-ν (477 c). So ἔ-σχ-ο-ν got from ἔχ-ω have.

b. α is the weak form of η (ᾱ), as in τήκω ἐτάκην; and of ε, when ε has λ, μ, ν, ρ before or after it, as in τρέπω, ἐτράπην (479).

Syncope.—Some verbs suffer syncope (44 b).

a. In the present: πῑ́πτω fall for πι-π(ε)τ-ω, ἴσχω hold for (σ)ι-σ(ε)χ-ω (125 e), μίμνω for μι-μεν-ω.

b. In the future: πτήσομαι from πέτομαι fly.

c. In the second aorist: ἔσχον for ἐ-σεχ-ον from ἔχω (ἐχ- for σεχ-, 125 e).

d. In the perfect: πέ-πτα-μαι have expanded from πετά-ννῡμι.

N.—Syncopated forms are properly weak stems (476 a).

Verbs of the First Class (499) adding a thematic vowel to the verbstem form the second aorist (1) by reduplication (494), as ἄγω lead ἤγαγον, and εἶπον probably for ἐ-ϝε-ϝεπ-ον; (2) by syncope (493), as πέτομαι fly ἐπτόμην, ἐγείρω (ἐγερ-) rouse ἠγρόμην, ἕπομαι (σεπ-) jollow ἐσπόμην, imperf. είπόμην from ἐ-σεπομην, ἔχω (σεχ-) hare ἔσχον; (3) by using α for ε (476 b) in poetic forms (480), as τρέπω turn ἔτραπον; (4) by metathesis (492), as poet. δέρκομαι see ἔδρακον.