Legends, Tales and Poems. Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo

      Synaeresis serves sometimes to overcome this rule. The result is usually harsh.

      (c) If an accented strong vowel precedes a weak, they form a diphthong. The diphthong is rarely dissolved, and is usually marked with a diaresis, if dissolution takes place.

      (d) If an accented strong vowel follows a weak they may or may not form a diphthong.

      Diaeresis or synaeresis may usually be employed according to the case.

      Thus, fiel becomes by diaeresis fi|el, and br|ioso becomes by synaeresis bri^oso.

      It should be remembered that in some words the accentuation is variable, while in others it is fixed.

      There are two classes of words that have a variable accentuation: first, those in which an unaccented weak vowel is followed by an accented strong vowel, e.g. majestu^oso, majestu|oso; second, those in which an accented strong vowel is followed by an unaccented strong vowel, e.g. tra|e, tra^e.

      Etymological conditions often determine whether or not a diphthong is formed.

      ie and ue, derived from the Latin e and o respectively, form indissoluble diphthongs.

      The ending -ión for substantives is usually a diphthong and rarely suffers dissolution.

      Synaeresis may be employed to unite in a single syllable two contiguous vowels (unaccented weak + accented strong) that are separated on account of etymology, or, in the case of derivatives, analogy with the original word; but diaeresis is employed very rarely to dissolve a proper diphthongal combination (unaccented weak + accented strong).

      For example, di|ario by analogy with día, and fi|ó from the Latin fidavit, have ordinarily the i in separate syllables, but a diphthong may be formed by synaeresis.

      (3) When the two contiguous vowels are weak.

      (a) Two contiguous weak vowels with the accent on the first form an indissoluble diphthong, e.g. mu^y.

      (b) Two contiguous weak vowels with the accent on the second may or may not form a diphthong.

      c. Two contiguous vowels after the accented syllable.

      (1) Two contiguous strong vowels after the accented syllable naturally form a diphthong.

      Diaeresis may be employed to dissolve the diphthong.

      (2) If a strong vowel is followed by a weak vowel after the accented syllable, they form a diphthong, e.g. hablaba^is, amara^is.

      This diphthong is easily dissolved.

      (3) If a weak vowel is followed by a strong vowel after the accented syllable, they form a diphthong, e.g. histor^i^a, ans^i^a.

      The diphthong may, however, be dissolved, e.g. estatu|a, tenu|e, nadi|e.

      If three vowels belonging to the same word are contiguous, one of them must be accented. There are then three possible arrangements.

      (i) Three contiguous vowels of a word with the accent on the first, e.g. tráeos.

      (ii) Three contiguous vowels of a word with the accent on the second, e.g. creia, buey.

      (iii) Three contiguous vowels with the accent on the third, e.g. rehuí.

      Each of the above arrangements has two combinations of accented and unaccented vowels to which the rules for diphthongs may be applied. In (i) there will be a combination of two vowels with the first accented, plus a combination of two vowels after the accent. In tráeos, for example, the a and e would probably be in separate syllables by b (1) (a), and eo would probably form a diphthong by c (1). Tráeos would, then, probably be a dissyllable.

      In (ii) there will be a combination of two vowels with the accent an the second, and one of two vowels with the accent on the first. In creia, for example, the e and í would be in separate syllables by b (2) (b), and the í and a would probably be in separate syllables also by b (2)(a). Therefore, creia would probably be a trisyllable. In cambiáos the i and á might form one syllable or two by b (2) (d), and the á and o would probably be in separate syllables by b (1) (a). Therefore, in cambiáos the combination iáo might form a dissyllable or a trisyllable.

      In (iii) there will be a combination of two vowels before the accent, and one of two vowels with the second accented. In rehuí, for example, the e and u might be in the same syllable by a (1), or in separate syllables by dieresis by a (1) (a), and the u and í might be in separate syllables or not by b (3) (b). Therefore, rehuí might be a monosyllable, a dissyllable, or a trisyllable.

      Other combinations of three vowels may be analyzed in a similar way, as may also combinations of more than three vowels, e.g. creíais, etc.

      Between the contiguous vowels of separate words there may occur synalepha (which corresponds to diphthongization within a word), or hiatus (which is similar to diaeresis within a word).

      The vowels contracted by synalepha are each pronounced, except when the same vowel is repeated, when only a prolonged sound is heard, as in onda^azul or sé^es above.

      Synalepha may join into a single syllable two, three, four, and even five vowels. The union of two vowels (diphthongal synalepha) and the union of three vowels (triphthongal synalepha) are the most common.

      A pause due to a break in sense does not prevent synalepha. Mute h is disregarded in the verse and does not prevent synalepha.