Deletion of intervocalic ¬ v and ¡ k

It must be noted that ST fairly systematically deletes intervocalic ¬ v and ¡ k (phonetically [h]) in certain environments. The rules are very complicated, but for ¬ v one can state that if it is not the case of a future or causative marker of weak verbs, or the product of sandhi, ¬ v and the vowel that follows it will probably be deleted after the second syllable of a word: ؽԴØÂᣠpoohaveenum --> [po '161 han].For further discussion, cf. Schiffman 1993.

In the case of intervocalic ¡ k (phonetically [h]) it is deleted regularly when it is the present-tense marker of a weak verb: ؽԴÕÅÔ² pookiraay --> [po '161 r] `you (sg.) go'. In other circumstances, e.g. ؽԴÁÔ£ poohalaam `one may go' in slower speech [h] is present, in more rapid colloquial speech, it is absent: [po '161 l a]. Even across morpheme boundaries, e.g. with the postposition ´Õ¥×¹ kitte the ¡ k first laxes to [h] or [c] and then may be deleted: ÇÂõ´´Õ¥×¹ avangahitte --> [av '025 '070 gatt] `with, near them.' The same may happen with the durative aspectual marker ´Õ¥Üç kittiru: ¶Ô¤½Õ¥à´Õ¥Üçÿ»Ô saappittuhittirunda '161 --> [sa '161 pt '124 tr '124 nda '161 ] `she was eating'.