Syncope (phonetics)

Under syncope is understood in linguistics the process of loss of unstressed vowels inside a word or even the result of this process ( for example, Middle High German Obest > neuhochdeutsch fruit). Failure at the end of a word is called, however, apocope. In case of failure of the second vowel in a three-syllable word we speak of middle syllable loss.

Syncope is used in particular in poetry, and to safeguard of the meter, for example " a golden " instead of " golden ".

"Well floats in golden hair umwallt / your beautiful little head resting against me ... " Heinrich Seidel, Carillon

The syncopation of vowels is in many cases associated with other sequences and leads into the adjacent syllables may be a sound change.