Hanzimerkkien

Hanzimerkkien, also known as "Hanzimarks" or "Hanzimarkings," are a system of handwriting symbols used in the Finnish language to indicate the pronunciation of certain words. These marks are not part of the standard Finnish orthography but are used in educational materials, dictionaries, and other reference works to clarify the pronunciation of words that might otherwise be ambiguous. The system was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a way to standardize the pronunciation of Finnish, which has a complex phonetic system with many vowel and consonant sounds.

The Hanzimerkkien system uses a series of diacritical marks and symbols to indicate the length and quality of vowels, as well as the pronunciation of certain consonants. For example, the mark "ä" is used to indicate a long "ä" sound, while the mark "ö" is used to indicate a long "ö" sound. The mark "h" is used to indicate a voiceless "h" sound, which is not present in standard Finnish pronunciation.

The use of Hanzimerkkien has declined in recent years, as the Finnish language has become more standardized and the need for such marks has decreased. However, they remain an important part of Finnish linguistic history and are still used in some educational and reference materials. The system is also of interest to linguists and language enthusiasts who study the Finnish language and its unique phonetic features.