Sananhidastus

Sananhidastus is a Finnish linguistic phenomenon. It refers to the lengthening of a word's final vowel when that word is the final element of a sentence and is spoken with emphasis. This lengthening is not a change in the word's phonemic structure but rather a prosodic feature that signals the end of an utterance. The effect is often perceived as a drawn-out or prolonged sound on the final vowel.

This phenomenon is particularly noticeable in informal spoken Finnish. It can occur across various word classes, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives. For example, a sentence ending in "talo" (house) might be spoken as "talo-o" when emphasized at the end of a sentence. Similarly, a verb like "menee" (goes) could be pronounced "menee-ee." The degree of lengthening can vary, but it is typically a subtle, extended pronunciation rather than a distinct additional syllable.

Sananhidastus is not a mandatory feature of Finnish speech and its occurrence can depend on the speaker and the specific context. It is generally understood by native speakers as a natural aspect of spoken intonation and is not considered an error. While it is primarily a feature of spoken language, it can sometimes be observed in written representations intended to capture colloquial speech patterns, though such representations are rare. The primary function appears to be related to sentence finality and emphasis.