Vokaaliyhdyntä

Vokaaliyhdyntä, sometimes referred to as vowel hiatus, is a phenomenon in phonology and phonetics where two adjacent vowels occur in sequence without an intervening consonant. This can happen across word boundaries or within a single word, depending on the language. In many languages, vokaaliyhdyntä is either avoided or regularized through specific phonological processes.

For instance, some languages may insert a glide (like /j/ or /w/) between the vowels to break up the hiatus, a process known as epenthesis. Other languages might elide one of the vowels, leading to a diphthong or a single long vowel. In some cases, vokaaliyhdyntä is permitted and can even be phonemically distinctive, contributing to the meaning of words. The specific treatment of vokaaliyhdyntä varies significantly from one language to another, reflecting the diverse sound systems and phonological rules found across the world's languages. Understanding vokaaliyhdyntä is crucial for accurate phonetic transcription and for comprehending the phonological structure of a language.