Y becoming E

Question

I recently learned that "y" becomes "e" if followed by a word starting with "i" or "hi". for example as in francés e italianos. Does anyone know why? Is it merely for phonetic reasons? I tried looking in the reference section but couldn't find anything.

Answer 1

And there is a small addendum to that rule that is often overlooked. The "i" or "hi" must have the sound of "i" or "ee" in English or no change is needed. That reinforces the idea that the change is for phonetic reasons.

If the word following following they "y" does not sound like "i" the "y" does not change to "e".

The word hierba is often used in examples. the "hi erba" has the sound of "yer ba" so the "y" would not change to "e" ....e.g. medicinas y hierbas

y to e

Y does not change before words, such as hierba, that begin with the y sound, regardless of spelling.

Thanks for this clarification. It's like a uniform or a union in English. - Pibosan, Dec 17, 2010

Answer 2

It's for phonetic reasons. It's hard to distinguish two "y" sounds in a row. The "e" helps the pronunciation flow better.

Answer 3

It is to avoid two "i" sounds in a row. There is a similar rule for replacing o with u.

Answer 4

Same reason why you say "an answer" and not "a answer".