vokalischer

Vokalischer is an adjective used in German linguistics to describe things related to vowels. In English-language terminology it corresponds to “vocalic” or “vowel-based.” The term can modify nouns such as Laut (sound), Merkmale (features), or Anteil (proportion) to indicate a focus on vowels rather than consonants. It is chiefly encountered in scholarly descriptions of phonology, syllable structure, vowel quality, or vowel harmony, rather than in everyday speech.

Etymology and form: The word derives from Vokal, meaning vowel, combined with the suffix -isch to form vokalisch. The attributive, masculine singular form is vokalischer, as in vokalischer Laut or vokalischer Anteil. The related noun is typically Vokal or the abstract Vokalität; in many contexts the more common practice is to use vokalisch- compounds or the noun Vokal rather than the fuller adjective form.

Typical contexts: Phrases such as vokalische Merkmale (vocalic features), vokalische Sequenz (vowel sequence), or vokalischer Anteil eines Silbentyps are used to describe aspects of vowel content and behavior in a language. The term is useful for contrasting vowel-centered phenomena with konsonantischer (consonantal) descriptions, such as when discussing syllable structure, vowel harmony, rounding, height, or backness.

See also: Vokal, Vokalismus, Vokalharmonie, Diphthong, Konsonant. The term vokalischer remains a specialized linguistic descriptor and is less common outside technical texts.