vokaalikokonaisuus

Vokaalikokonaisuus, literally “vowel system” in Finnish linguistics, describes the set of vowels that contrast phonemically in a language and the phonological properties that accompany them. It includes the inventory of vowel qualities, distinguishing features such as length, rounding, and backness, and how these vowels pattern across syllables and morphemes.

Core components include the vowel inventory (monophthongs and diphthongs), the presence or absence of length (quantity) contrasts, and the way vowels interact with each other within a word (for example, vowel harmony or harmony constraints).

In many languages, the vokaalikokonaisuus is organized around frontness vs backness and rounding, shaping how suffix vowels surface in morphology. Harmony rules can require suffix vowels to match the root vowels in backness or rounding, while some languages have neutral vowels that do not participate in harmony.

Finnish, often cited in descriptions of vokaalikokonaisuus, features a compact eight-vowel inventory (a, e, i, o, u, y, ä, ö) with length contrasts. It employs vowel harmony for suffix vowels and has a robust system of vowel alternations that influence inflection and derivation.

Across languages, vokaalikokonaisuus varies widely in size and structure. It is a fundamental object of study in phonology, phonetics, and morphology, providing a framework for describing how vowels contribute to pronunciation, word formation, and cross-linguistic comparisons.