äänenkulkuun

Äänenkulkuun is a Finnish term that translates to "vowel harmony" in English. It is a phonological phenomenon found in many Uralic languages, including Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian. Vowel harmony dictates that all vowels within a word, including suffixes, must belong to the same class. Typically, this classification is based on the position of the tongue during vowel production: front vowels (ä, ö, y) and back vowels (a, o, u). Some languages also include neutral vowels (i, e) which can appear with either front or back vowels.

In Finnish, for instance, a word can either contain only front vowels (e.g., "metsässä" - in the forest) or only back vowels (e.g., "talossa" - in the house). When a suffix is added to a word, its vowel will change to match the vowels already present in the stem. If a word contains only front vowels, the front vowel variant of the suffix is used. If it contains only back vowels, the back vowel variant is used. If a word contains neutral vowels, the choice of suffix vowel depends on the other vowels in the word. This system contributes significantly to the characteristic sound and structure of Finnish words. Äänenkulkuun is a fundamental aspect of Finnish grammar and morphology, affecting word formation and inflection.