Page:The grammar of Dionysios Thrax.djvu/11

Rh consonant or consonants, as,. Improperly we speak of a syllable as composed of a single vowel, as,.

(μακρός ).

A long syllable may come about in eight ways, three by nature and five by position : by nature, when it is represented by the long elements, as —or when one of the doubtful elements is assumed as long, as —or when it contains one of the diphthongs, as ; by position, either when it ends in two consonants, as —or when a short or shortened vowel is followed by two consonants, as —or when it ends in a single consonant and the next syllable begins with a consonant, as —or when it is followed by a double consonant, as —or when it ends in a double consonant, as.

(βραχύς ).

A syllable becomes short in two ways, either when it contains a vowel naturally short, as —or when it has a doubtful vowel assumed as short, as.

(κοινός ).

A syllable is common in three ways, either when it ends in a long vowel while the next syllable begins with a vowel, as

or when a shortened vowel is followed by two consonants, whereof the latter is an unchangeable, while the former is by itself a mute, as

or when, being short, it stands at the end of a part of speech and the next syllable begins with a vowel, as