Sandhi

Hello kiddo! Today, we are going to learn about sandhi. Sandhi is a very fancy word that linguists use to refer to the changes that happen to the way words are pronounced when they are next to each other.

Here's an example: Let's say you want to say "I am happy" in Hindi, which is a language spoken in India. The words for "I" and "am" are "mai" and "hu" respectively. But when you put them together, you don't say "mai hu", Instead, you say "main hu", with an 'n' in the middle. That is an example of sandhi.

Sandhi happens because it is easier for our tongues to pronounce some sounds when they are next to certain other sounds. In Indo-European languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin, the sandhi rules can be quite complex and sophisticated, with different types of sandhi patterns depending on the sounds that are involved and the way the words are used grammatically.

But don't worry! Even though it may sound complicated, sandhi is really a natural and intuitive part of how we speak and understand languages. So, next time you hear a speaker of a different language, pay attention to the way they blend words together - you might just be witnessing sandhi in action!