Tüvikale

Tüvikale is a term used in Estonian linguistics to refer to the stem or root of a word that carries its core meaning. It is the fundamental part of a word to which affixes, such as prefixes and suffixes, can be attached to create new words or inflect existing ones. Understanding the tüvikale is crucial for comprehending word formation and grammatical structures in the Estonian language.

The tüvikale is typically the most stable part of a word, although it can sometimes undergo minor changes, such as vowel gradation or consonant assimilation, depending on the grammatical context or the affixes it is combined with. For example, in the word "raamat" (book), "raamat-" is the tüvikale. When pluralized to "raamatud" (books), the tüvikale remains the same. However, in cases like "tuli" (fire) and its genitive form "tule" (of fire), the tüvikale "tul-" undergoes vowel gradation.

Identifying the tüvikale is a key step in morphological analysis, allowing linguists to break down complex words into their basic components and understand their etymology and relationships to other words. It forms the foundation upon which the entire lexical and grammatical system of Estonian is built.