Elision of a Vowel

Elision of a Vowel

Vowel elision is of two types, forward and backwards elision.

Think of a Pac-Man going forward, it eats the letter in front of it. This is called forward elision.

Think of a Pac-Man going backwards, it eats the letter behind it. This is called backwards elision, and very common in Pāli.

Possibility #1

a vowel before another vowel is sometimes elided

ajjauposatho > ajjuposatho

au > u

This means:

when a word ends in a,

and the next word starts with u,

the a can be elided,

and only the u will remain.

In Kaccāyana this is called (12) sarā sare lopaṃ

aa > a

pana	assa	panassa
and	for him	and for him
aṭṭha	aṅgika	aṭṭhaṅgika
eight	parts	with eight parts
bhatta	agga	bhattagga
food	hall	dining hall
dosa	antara	dosantara
angers	inside	with anger inside
aā > ā
kāma	āsava	kāmāsava
sensual pleasure	effluent	effluent of sensual pleasure
yena	āyasmā	yenāyasmā
where	venerable	where venerable
khīṇa	āsava	khīṇāsava
destroyed	effluent	who has destroyed the effluents
sena	āsana	senāsana
bed	seat	lodging

ai > i

pañca	ime	pañcime
these	five	these five
bhāvita	indriya	bhāvitindriya
developed	faculty	(one with) developed faculties
pāpa	icchā	pāpicchā
evil	wish	(one with) evil wish
vīriya	indriya	vīriyindriya
energy	faculty	faculty of energy

au > u

purisa	uttama	purisuttama
man	ultimate	ultimate man
imassa	uppādā	imassuppādā
of this	from arising	from the arising of this
idha	udāyi	idhudāyi
here	Udāyī	here, Udāyī
daḷha	uddāpa	daḷhuddāpa
strong	fortification	strong fortification
ae > e
aja	eḷakā	ajeḷakā
goat	sheep	goats and sheep
vivicca	eva	vivicceva
separating	just	just secluding oneself
ca	eva	ceva
and, but	even	and even, but even
tatra	eva	tatreva
there	just	right there
ao > o
amata	ogadha	amatogadha
deathless	immersed	immersed in the deathless
tena	obhāsena	tenobhāsena
by that	by light	by that light
udaka	orohaka	udakorohaka
water	descender	ritual bather

āā > ā

avijjā	āsava	avijjāsava
ignorance	defilement	defilement of ignorance
dayā	āpanna	dayāpanna
compassion	accomplished	full of compassion
mahā	ānisaṃsa	mahānisaṃsa
great	profit	great benefit
mā	āyasmā	māyasmā
do not	venerable	venerable, don’t!

āi > i

mahā	iccha	mahiccha
great	wish	greedy
mahā	iddhika	mahiddhika
great	supernatural power	great supernatural power
paññā	indriya	paññindriya
wisdom	faculty	faculty of wisdom

ii > i

tīṇi	imāni	tīṇimāni
three	these	these three things
samādhi	indriya	samādhindriya
stability	faculty	faculty of mental stability
sati	indriya	satindriya
mindfulness	faculty	faculty of mindfulness

ia > a

icchāmi	ahaṃ	icchāmahaṃ
I wish	I	I wish

ie > e

hi	etaṃ	hetaṃ
indeed	thus	thus indeed
idāni	eva	idāneva
now	just	only now
sabbehi	eva	sabbeheva
by all	just	with all indeed
santi	ettha	santettha
they are	here	here there are

io > o

hiri	ottappa	hirottappa
conscience	shame in wrongdoing	conscience and concern

īu > u

bhikkhunī	upassaya	bhikkhunupassaya
nun	residence	nun’s residence

ua > a

nu	ajja	najja
?	today	today? now?

uā > ā

sametu	āyasmā	sametāyasmā
please agree!	venerable	venerable, please agree!
cakkhu	āyatana	cakkhāyatana
eye	field	field of vision
sādhu	āvuso	sādhāvuso
that is good	friend	that is good, friend

uu > u

pañcasu	upādānakkhandhesu	pañcasupādānakkhandhesu
in five	in grasping aggregates	in the five aggregates that are clung to
lahu	uṭṭhāna	lahuṭṭhāna
quick	rising	quick to get up
tadahu	uposathe	tadahuposathe
that day	on uposatha	on that uposatha day
ea > a
me	atthi	matthi
my	these are	these are my
sace	assa	sacassa
if	it could be	if it could be

eā > ā

me	āsi	māsi
my	it was	it was my

ee > e

sabbe	eva	sabbeva
all	only	all of them
pubbe	eva	pubbeva
before	only	only before
ce	etaṃ	cetaṃ
if	this	if this
ce	eva	ceva
if	only	only if

oa > a

tayo	assu	tayassu
three	they may be	three things may be

ou > u

satto	upalabbhati	sattupalabbhati
being	is found	being is found
tato	uṭṭhāya	tatuṭṭhāya
from that	arising	arising from that

oe > e

kuto	ettha	kutettha
from where?	here	what in this regard?

what is Possibility #1 ?

a vowel before another vowel is sometimes elided