Note the pronunciation of the following word:
SOFT
There are two possibilities for using this word:
(1) su-The-ve
or
(2) swow-ve
In (1), the pronunciation of a gap and, therefore, the presence of two vowels. In (2), the presence of a crescent diphthong, that is, a vowel cluster composed of a semivowel and a vowel that belong to the same syllable.
These two pronunciations are possible and acceptable in Portuguese because of the phenomenon known as syneresis. Thus, we define this phenomenon as: changing the vowels of a gap for one crescent diphthong.
See some more examples:
PIOUS
fori-and-do-so
or
forie-do-so
MOONLIGHT
thereu-Ther
or
therewowr
JEALOUSY
çi-ú-me
or
çyo-me
ATTENTION! Atineresis is a more common phenomenon than dieresis and can be found in several poems from the 16th century onwards. Note an excerpt from Antero de Quental's poem:
to the Blessed Virgin
Full of Grace, Mother of Mercy
(...)
It wasn't the ordinary glow of beauty,
Nor the banal ardor of youth...
it was another light, it was another softness,
I don't even know if there are any in nature...
(...)
In counting the poetic syllables, we have ten syllables in each verse:
no/ e/ra o/ vul/gar/ shine/ da/ be/le//
nor/ o /air/ pain/ ba/ nal/ da/ mo/ ci/ da//
e/was/tra/light///ra/tra/swow/ life//
that a/ has/ don't/ know/ if there is/ in/ in/ you/ re/ za//
Note that in the third verse there is the transformation of the gap in diphthong so that the meter of the poem is preserved, that is, so that there is an equality of numbers of poetic syllables (isometry). Thus, syneresis occurs when we pronounce a hiatus like a diphthong.
By Mariana Rigonatto
Graduated in Letters
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/portugues/o-que-e-sinerese.htm