(2). Sometimes two syllables are elided: Ex. taume, tame, from which comes ovo ta, a tame pig, and ovo taum’ ifa, the tame pig is good.
(3). Words which do not end in e, rarely elide a final vowel, and never the last syllable. Ex. kuku, tobacco, kuk’ oko nei, give me a little tobacco; na, I, nu, thee, ongo at the foot of, na n’ ong’ ando, I am at thy feet; umbubi, wash, umbub’ u, wash him.
(4). Some verbs in -ri or -li however often omit this syllable. Ex. ivo(ri) to wipe, na ga kodig’ ivo, I have wiped the plates; tsimi(li), to lick, ama tsimi, lick the salt; itu(lili) to split, ol’ itu, split the wood.
In the grammar and vocabulary the syllable which may be elided is enclosed in a bracket, and in compound words and phrases the elision is marked with an apostrophe, as in the preceding examples.
III. Vowel Changes.
1. A final o sometimes changes to u if the word following begins with a vowel.
Ex. oko, some, a little, kuk’ oku ind’ uno, give him some tobacco to smoke.
2. An initial o, on the other hand, sometimes changes to u when the preceding word begins with a.
Ex. ongo, under; na ungo ando, remain at my feet.
3. The final a of the word na, I, becomes e when it is followed by the verb indi in the imperative.