=48.= I. The first kind takes place when the vowels of the two final
syllables of a word are the same, and the consonant between them (=h= in
nouns or =t= in verbs) falls out. Thus, =vierahan= becomes =viera͡an=
(two syllables); =lupatan=, =lupa͡an=; =tervehen=, =terve͡en=.
This form of contraction is universally employed in certain classes of
nouns and verbs, the uncontracted forms being only found in poetry and
the Karelian dialect.
=49.= II. The second kind is when the vowels of the last and penultimate
syllables of a word meet, the last vowel being =a= or =ä=. Under these
circumstances the assimilation of the second vowel to the first, and
contraction of the two into one long vowel is admissible, but not
obligatory, though it usually takes place if the first vowel is =o=,
=e=, or =ö=. Thus =lankean= (_I fall_), =kokoan= (_I collect_), become
=lankeen=, =kokoon=. But the contraction of =ia= or =ua= to =ii=, =uu= is
rare.
Forms like =silee=, =ainoo= for =sileä=, =ainoa= are found in poetry. In
prose this form of contraction is confined to verbs.
The contraction of two vowels into one long vowel or diphthong also
occurs in adding the case suffixes:—
(1) The =a= or =ä= of the partitive sing. with the final vowel of roots
ending in =a= or =ä= forms a long vowel, e.g. =jalka-a=, =leipä-ä= become
=jalka͡a=, =leipä͡ä=.
(2) When the =e= of a termination becomes =i= after the final vowel of a
root, this =i= forms a diphthong with that vowel, e.g. =korvaen= becomes
=korva͡in=; and when the =i= of the plural meets with the final vowel of
a root it forms a diphthong with it.
The point in all these cases is that, though no change takes place in
writing, the two vowels form one syllable instead of two.
Vowels which meet from the disappearance of =k= are often contracted in
pronunciation: =te͡en=, =nä͡in= from =teken=, =näkin=, are pronounced as
one syllable.