korostustapa

Korostustapa is a term used in Finnish linguistics and lexicography to denote the convention by which the stressed syllable of a word is indicated in written form or pronunciation guides. The concept is important in dictionaries, language textbooks, and corpus annotation, where clear indications of pronunciation support correct speech and comprehension. In Finnish, the typical stress pattern is that the primary stress falls on the first syllable, but many words—especially loanwords, compound forms, and proper nouns—may exhibit nonstandard stress patterns. The korostustapa describes how these stresses are shown to readers.

Common korostustapas include a range of typographic and phonetic conventions. Typographic methods highlight the stressed syllable by capitalization or bolding (for example, stressing the second syllable in a word that allows such variation). Diacritic marks on vowels may also signal stress in languages that use such marks. In phonetic transcription, the primary stress is indicated with an IPA principal-stress marker (the symbol [ˈ] before the stressed syllable).

In practice, korostustapa guides help language learners and editors maintain consistent pronunciation cues across dictionaries, educational materials, and corpora. They are often described in editorial or editorial-linguistic guidelines accompanying dictionaries or course texts.

See also: Finnish phonology, dictionary conventions, pronunciation guides.