ünlü

Ünlü is a Turkish word with two common meanings. As an adjective, it means famous or well-known and is used to describe people, works, organizations, or places that are widely recognized. For example, ünlü bir aktör means a famous actor.

In linguistics, ünlü is also a term for vowels, the class of sounds produced with an open vocal tract. In Turkish, a ünlü (plural ünlüler) refers to the eight vowels: a, e, ı, i, o, ö, u, ü. This term is used in contrast to sessiz (consonants). Turkish vowels are central to vowel harmony, which governs how suffix vowels align with the stem’s vowels.

Etymology: the adjective ünlü is formed from the root ün meaning fame, plus the suffix -lü meaning having or with, literally “having fame.”

Turkish possesses eight vowels that are categorized by frontness (front vs back), height (high, mid, low), and rounding (rounded vs unrounded). Vowel harmony in Turkish causes suffix vowels to harmonize with the preceding stem vowels, a feature closely associated with the use and study of the term ünlü in phonology. The word thus covers both everyday vocabulary and a specific linguistic category.