Nivelmaamerkki

Nivelmaamerkki, also known as a joint mark or often translated as an "articulation mark," is a concept found in Finnish linguistics. It refers to a specific phonetic or phonological phenomenon that occurs at the boundary between two words or morphemes. This mark signifies a point where a sound change, assimilation, or deletion might take place due to the juxtaposition of the two units.

The primary function of the nivelmaamerkki is to indicate potential points of interaction between adjacent linguistic elements. For example, when a word ending in a vowel is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, a nivelmaamerkki might highlight the possibility of elision or a glide insertion to avoid a hiatus. Similarly, at the boundary of a consonant and a vowel, or two consonants, the mark can draw attention to possible assimilation processes, where one sound influences another to become more similar.

While not a physical written symbol in standard Finnish orthography, the concept of the nivelmaamerkki is important for understanding the fluid and dynamic nature of spoken Finnish. It is a tool used in linguistic analysis to describe and predict how sounds interact across word and morpheme boundaries, contributing to the natural flow and rhythm of the language. Understanding these points of potential phonetic change is crucial for both native speakers and learners of Finnish.