The meeting of two vowels that belong to different syllables is known as a hiatus.
Hiatus , from the Latin hiatus , is a concept that has various uses and applications . The meeting that occurs between two vowels that are part of different syllables is known as a hiatus. This means that, when the hiatus is generated, these letters can be separated into two syllables.
Grammar distinguishes between simple hiatus (when two open vowels or two identical closed vowels come together: "Bilbao" , "Shiita" ) and accentual hiatus (the meeting between an open vowel and a closed one, or a closed one with an accent and an open one: «bakery» , «surplus value» ).
It is necessary to clarify previously that in Spanish the strong or also called open vowels are A, E and O, and the weak or closed ones are I and U. When two open vowels are found in the same syllable or two closed ones are found, it is produced a diphthong ; such is the case of words like City or Pa-sion; When talking about hiatus, when it appears it divides the sound of one syllable into two.
When a hiatus occurs
For the hiatus to occur, the following conditions must be met:
* Union of a weak tonic vowel with a strong unstressed vowel (e.g. Son-rí-e, owl-ho);
* Union of two different open vowels (e.g. Te-o-re-ma, le-ón);
* Union of strong unstressed vowel with weak stressed vowel (e.g. O-ír, pa-ís);
* Union of two equal vowels (eg: Cré-e-me, Chi-i-ta);
Regarding the accentuation of these words, it is necessary to keep in mind that in the first two cases the normal rules of accentuation must be respected, that is:
1) Acute words (stressed on the last syllable) have an accent whenever they end in N, S or a vowel;
2) Serious words (stressed on the penultimate syllable) have an accent whenever they DO NOT end in N, S or a vowel;
3) Esdrújulas words (stressed on the penultimate syllable) always have an accent.
It should also be noted that the letter "H" sandwiched between two vowels does not break either the diphthong or the hiatus.
A hiatus can be a crack.
The concept in poetry
In meter , the hiatus is present in the poetic resource known as sinalefa , which consists of the linked pronunciation of the last vowel of a word and the first vowel of the following term, merging them into the same syllable. In this way, by using it, you can achieve a shorter verse. It is important, however, to know how to differentiate between the concept of sinalefa and elision, since the latter is also produced when two vowel sounds join together, but it does so by canceling one of them, while the sinalefa fuses them.
An example of sinalefa can be the following verse by Garcilaso de la Vega:
"Save the people (that are fearless and) strong": the syllables placed in parentheses are read as one.
Finally, it is worth noting other meanings of the term, those that occur in the field of anatomy and geology.
Hiatus in anatomy and geology
For anatomy , a hiatus is a fissure or cleft in some formation of the body. A hiatal hernia is an opening in the diaphragm that causes the upper part of the stomach to bulge, allowing acid to pass into the esophagus (known as gastroesophageal reflux ).
With this type of hernia, the stomach enters the thoracic cavity, causing burning and pain. Although the cause of this disorder is not clear, specialists believe that it is due to a weakening of the tissues due to certain physical efforts that are made suddenly, vomiting or even coughing. Smoking and obesity are among the risk factors.
Geology uses the notion of hiatus to name the stages in which sedimentation does not occur while, in colloquial language, a hiatus can be any type of hole, fissure or slit.