Postlexical

Postlexical is a term used in linguistics to describe processes or phenomena that occur after the lexicon has produced the basic forms of words. It refers to effects that take place at higher levels of phonology and prosody, especially across word boundaries and within larger prosodic units such as phonological phrases and intonational phrases. By contrast, lexical or prelexical processes influence the internal structure or pronunciation of individual words.

Common postlexical phenomena include boundary tones and pitch resets marking phrase edges, phrase-final lengthening, and adjustments to stress, rhythm, or vowel quality across adjacent words. Some languages also exhibit cross-word assimilation, liaison, or vowel reduction that occur only in connected speech. Tone sandhi patterns that extend beyond a single morpheme are sometimes described as postlexical, depending on the theoretical framework.

The exact scope of postlexical phenomena varies by language and by school of analysis. In prosodic phonology and intonational phonology, postlexical effects are modeled as part of the organization of speech into prosodic units. Because the term is not universally standardized, some authors use it narrowly for effects strictly above the word level, while others apply it more broadly to any cross-word phonological adjustments in connected speech.