fonologisen

Fonologinen is a Finnish adjective meaning 'phonological', relating to phonology, the branch of linguistics that studies the sound system of languages. The corresponding noun is fonologia (phonology), and related terms include fonetikka (phonetics). In Finnish, fonologinen is declined to match the noun it modifies, with the genitive singular form fonologisen, as in fonologisen muutoksen (phonological change) or fonologisen järjestelmän (the phonological system).

In linguistic usage, fonologinen describes aspects of a language's sound structure. Phonology examines the inventory of distinct sounds (phonemes), their contrastive distribution, permissible sound sequences (phonotactics), syllable structure, and the rules that generate sound patterns and alternations. It also studies phenomena such as allophony and prosody (stress and intonation) within a theoretical framework. Phonology differs from phonetics, which investigates the physical realization and perception of speech sounds independent of their linguistic function.

Finnish-language texts may discuss fonologisen järjestelmän kehitys or fonologisen prosodian muutokset to describe changes in the sound system or its prosodic features. The term functions as a standard descriptor in academic writing, language documentation, and comparative linguistics.

See also: phonology, phonetics, linguistics.