Tüvevokaalimuutus

Tüvevokaalimuutus, also known as stem vowel change or ablaut, is a linguistic phenomenon where the vowel within the root of a word changes to indicate grammatical function, such as tense, mood, or number. This is a common feature in many Indo-European languages, particularly Germanic languages like English and German, and also in some Uralic languages.

In English, for instance, tüvevokaalimuutus is evident in irregular verbs. Examples include "sing, sang, sung" where the vowel in the stem changes to denote past tense and past participle. Similarly, "swim, swam, swum" and "drink, drank, drunk" follow this pattern. This change is not a result of adding a suffix but an internal alteration of the word's core.

The specific vowel changes in tüvevokaalimuutus often follow predictable patterns within a language or language family. These patterns are remnants of older grammatical systems. While many languages have largely replaced this system with inflectional suffixes, remnants of tüvevokaalimuutus persist, particularly in the most frequently used verbs. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for historical linguistics and for comprehending the evolution of word forms. It demonstrates how grammatical information can be conveyed through internal vowel modification rather than solely through external affixes.