Phonetics And Phonology Questions Medium
Vowel harmony is a phonological phenomenon that occurs in many languages around the world. It refers to the tendency of vowels within a word or a morpheme to share certain phonetic features, such as height, backness, or rounding. In other words, when a word contains multiple vowels, they tend to assimilate or become similar to each other in terms of their articulation.
The main purpose of vowel harmony is to create a more harmonious and cohesive sound pattern within a language. It helps to maintain a consistent and balanced phonetic structure, making the language easier to pronounce and understand.
There are different types of vowel harmony systems depending on the specific features involved. One common type is front-back harmony, where the vowels in a word or morpheme are either all front or all back. For example, in Turkish, the suffix -ler is added to pluralize nouns, and the vowels in this suffix harmonize with the vowels in the stem. If the stem contains front vowels, such as /e/ or /i/, the suffix will have front vowels as well, resulting in words like evler (houses). On the other hand, if the stem contains back vowels, such as /a/ or /u/, the suffix will have back vowels, resulting in words like köyler (villages).
Another type of vowel harmony is height harmony, where the vowels in a word or morpheme are either all high or all low. This can be seen in languages like Finnish, where the suffix -ssa/-ssä is used to indicate location. If the stem contains high vowels, such as /i/ or /u/, the suffix will have high vowels as well, resulting in words like Helsingissä (in Helsinki). Conversely, if the stem contains low vowels, such as /a/ or /o/, the suffix will have low vowels, resulting in words like Turussa (in Turku).
Vowel harmony can also involve other features such as rounding or nasalization, depending on the specific language. It is an important aspect of phonology as it contributes to the overall sound patterns and structure of a language. By understanding vowel harmony, linguists can analyze and describe the phonetic and phonological processes that occur within a language.