ortonormaali

**Ortonormaali**

Ortonormaali is a Finnish orthographic reform proposed in the early 20th century by the linguist and educator **Aarne Kareli** and later refined by **Kalevi Kivikouvo**. The reform aimed to simplify Finnish spelling by introducing a more systematic and phonetic approach, reducing inconsistencies in existing orthography. It was particularly influential in the early 20th century, aligning with broader educational and linguistic modernization efforts in Finland.

The key principles of Ortonormaali included:

- Standardizing vowel and consonant sounds to match pronunciation more closely.

- Simplifying the use of diacritics, such as the acute accent (ä, ö) and grave accent (å), by introducing a more uniform system.

- Reducing the number of irregular spellings, such as the use of the letter *k* in words like *kissa* (cat) and *kukka* (flower), which were pronounced differently.

The reform was adopted in some educational contexts during the early 1900s but did not gain widespread adoption in official Finnish orthography. Instead, the Finnish Academy of Sciences and Arts later developed the **Ortonormaatti** (1951), a more gradual and widely accepted reform that retained some traditional spellings while improving consistency. Ortonormaali’s ideas, however, remain influential in discussions about Finnish orthography and linguistic standardization.