Tavutussääntöjä

Tavutussääntöjä refers to the rules of syllabification in the Finnish language. These rules govern how Finnish words are divided into syllables. A fundamental principle is that Finnish syllables typically end in a vowel. This means that consonant clusters are often split between syllables, with the first consonant belonging to the preceding syllable and the second consonant belonging to the following syllable. For example, the word "kulta" (gold) is divided into "kul-ta".

Another key aspect of tavutussääntöjä is the handling of double consonants. When a double consonant appears in a word, it is split between two syllables, with each consonant belonging to a different syllable. For instance, the word "talli" (stable) is divided into "tal-li". This principle also applies to consonant combinations like "ng" or "nk", which are treated as single sounds but still adhere to syllable division rules.

The rules also account for diphthongs and triphthongs, which are vowels that are pronounced as a single sound within one syllable. Generally, these vowel combinations remain within the same syllable. For example, "tie" (road) is a single syllable. The aim of these syllabification rules is to ensure a consistent and predictable division of words, which is important for Finnish pronunciation, rhythm, and the understanding of word structure. These rules are taught early in Finnish language education.