sisselõppimine

Sisselõppimine, often translated as "intercalation" or "insertion," is a concept primarily found in the study of Estonian linguistics. It refers to the process where a new morpheme or a part of a word is inserted into an existing word, typically affecting its grammatical form or meaning. This phenomenon is not a common or productive word-formation process in modern Estonian, but traces of it can be observed in certain older grammatical structures and loanwords.

Historically, sisselõppimine might have been more prevalent in the ancestor languages of Estonian, or it could have arisen through specific sound changes or analogical processes. In contemporary Estonian, the closest related phenomena are often considered to be processes like vowel harmony, assimilation, or even certain types of compound word formation where elements might appear to be "inserted" due to phonetic shifts. However, true sisselõppimine as a deliberate morphological operation is rare.

Linguists sometimes use the term when analyzing historical texts or comparing Estonian to related Finnic languages where such processes might be more active. Understanding sisselõppimine helps in reconstructing the historical development of the language and explaining irregularities in existing word forms. It is a concept that highlights the dynamic and evolving nature of language, even when the specific mechanism is no longer actively employed.