sandhi

phonology

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July 13, 2026

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Sandhi refers to the modification of a sound within a morpheme (the smallest meaningful unit of sound) based on the syntactic context in which it is uttered. This phenomenon is observed in various languages, including English, where the pronunciation of "-ed" changes depending on the preceding sound, such as in "glazed" (pronounced with a /d/ sound) versus "paced" (pronounced with a /t/ sound). Similarly, the article "a" becomes "an" before a vowel sound, as in "an old cow".1

In Dravidian languages, sandhi plays a role in sound changes. For instance, certain alveolar and retroflex stops and nasals developed from older sequences through sandhi processes. An example is when the sound /l/ combines with /t/ to produce /\u1e6f/. These sound modifications are crucial for understanding the historical development and reconstruction of Proto-Dravidian.2

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Irish language
In phonology it exhibits initial sandhi, in which the first consonant of a word is modified according to the prehistoric final sound of the previous word in the phrase (e.g., an tobar “the well,” mo thobar “my well”).
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In phonology it exhibits initial sandhi, in which the first consonant of a word is modified according to the prehistoric final sound of the previous word in the phrase (e.g., an tobar “the well,” mo thobar “my well”).
Read More

Sino-Tibetan languages
Vowel alternation
…the vowel (perhaps stress or sandhi, the modification of a sound according to the surrounding sounds) may have been responsible for the Sino-Tibetan ablaut systems.
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…the vowel (perhaps stress or sandhi, the modification of a sound according to the surrounding sounds) may have been responsible for the Sino-Tibetan ablaut systems.
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