Vokaaliharmonisointi

Vokaaliharmonisointi is a phonological process found in many languages, particularly prominent in Turkic languages like Turkish, Finnish, and Hungarian. It describes the phenomenon where vowels within a word, or sometimes across word boundaries, tend to assimilate to a common quality. This assimilation typically follows a pattern of frontness or backness, and sometimes rounding or unroundedness.

For instance, in Turkish, suffixes often change their vowel to match the vowel in the root word. A common example is the plural suffix, which can appear as -lar or -ler depending on the preceding vowel. If the root word has back vowels (a, ı, o, u), the suffix will take a back vowel (e.g., evler - houses, but arabalar - cars). If the root has front vowels (e, i, ö, ü), the suffix will take a front vowel.

This process is not limited to suffixes. Some languages exhibit internal vokaaliharmonisointi where vowels within the stem itself have influenced each other over time, or it can occur in compound words. The exact rules and extent of vokaaliharmonisointi vary significantly between languages. While it often serves to create a more aesthetically pleasing or phonetically stable word, it can also present challenges for learners of these languages. Understanding vokaaliharmonisointi is crucial for accurate pronunciation and morphology in languages where it is a strong feature.