Hállóság

Hállóság is a term used in some theoretical linguistic frameworks to describe a particular type of phonological opacity. It refers to a situation where a phonological rule, which should apply to a certain segment, fails to do so because that segment is "masked" or "hidden" by another feature. This masking is not necessarily phonetic but rather a structural or abstract phenomenon within the language's sound system.

The concept of hállóság often arises in analyses of vowel harmony or consonant assimilation processes. For instance, if a language has a rule that front vowels trigger fronting in adjacent vowels, but a particular front vowel is opaque to this process due to hállóság, then the adjacent vowel will not front. This opacity is typically attributed to the underlying representation of the opaque segment or to a specific phonological context.

Hállóság is distinct from simple blocking, where a segment might prevent a rule from applying due to its own inherent properties or its position in the word. Instead, hállóság implies a more inherent resistance to being affected by or affecting other segments in a phonological process, often linked to underlying feature specifications or an abstract phonological status. The precise nature and existence of hállóság are subjects of ongoing debate among phonologists, with different theoretical approaches offering alternative explanations for the phenomena it seeks to describe.