Synaeresis

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In linguistics, synaeresis (/sɪˈnɛrəsɪs/; also spelled syneresis) is a phonological process of sound change in which two adjacent vowels within a word are combined into a single syllable.^[1]

The opposite process, in which two adjacent vowels are pronounced separately, is known as "diaeresis".

For any given word, speakers generally hold a traditional view about the standard pronunciation of that word. When realized in a careful reading style, each particular word is associated with this single, standard phonetic form.^[2] However, each word also possesses multiple non-standard or reduced phonetic forms which are produced in a greater range of contexts.^[3] These multiple variations in the pronunciation of a single word are referred to as allophonic variants. To classify one of these other forms as an allophonic variant of a word means that pronouncing the word in this way will not change the intended meaning of the word.^[4]

Synaeresis is one of various phonological processes in which segments of words or phrases are lost. The general term for a loss of sound segments in the field of linguistics is known as "elision".^[5] Other types of elision include the processes of apheresis, syncope, apocope, synizesis, and synaloepha.^[6]