Sandhi

Sandhi¶

saṃ + √dhā + i > sandhi

Sandhi literally means placing together, combination, connecting, combining. It is sometimes called euphonic combination, which means “sweet sounding combination.”

It refers to the changes that take place when different parts of the language are joined together.

This occurs at every level of the language, from the formation of words to the basic elements of roots, prefixes, suffixes, and secondary derivatives, all the way to building complex compounds that consist of many words joined together.

What is sandhi called in English?¶

Some English examples of Sandhi¶

can’t = can not

don’t = do not

he’s = he is

isn’t = is not

I’m = I am

won’t = will not

hasn’t = has not

couldn’t = could not

you’re = you are

didn’t = did not

shouldn’t = should not

wouldn’t = would not

gonna = going to

wonna = will not

Can you think of any others?

Why is there sandhi?

There are three basic types of Sandhi in Pāli:

1. Vowel Sandhi (sara-sandhi) which occurs when vowels are joined together

2. Consonant Sandhi (vyañjana-sandhi) which occurs when consonants are joined together

3. Ṃ Sandhi niggahīta-sandhi which occurs when the nasal letter ṃ joins with vowels or consonants.