élnyelvi

The term élnyelvi refers to a linguistic phenomenon observed in some languages where a sound is influenced or modified by an adjacent sound that is "higher" in the mouth or produced further forward. This is often described as an "advanced" or "forward" articulation of a vowel or consonant. The concept is rooted in the idea of a tongue position. Vowels, for instance, are classified by tongue height (high, mid, low) and tongue backness (front, central, back). An élnyelvi sound implies that the tongue is raised or moved forward in the mouth relative to its default position for that sound, often due to the influence of a neighboring front vowel or consonant.

This influence can result in a change in the acoustic properties of the sound, making it sound subtly different from its uninfluenced counterpart. For example, a back vowel might become more fronted, or a consonant's place of articulation might shift slightly forward. The specific phonetic details of élnyelvi are dependent on the language and the precise sounds involved. While not a universally recognized or frequently used term in all phonological frameworks, it captures a specific type of assimilatory process where proximity to a "higher" or "front" articulation triggers a change in another sound. Understanding élnyelvi requires an awareness of phonetic features such as tongue position and the directionality of articulation.