Word info

vowel harmony

Noun

Meaning

vowel harmony (usually uncountable, plural vowel harmonies)

(phonology) A phonological process in some languages that sets constraints on which vowels may be found near each other or within a word, such as back vowels or front vowels; sometimes resulting in variant affixes, clitics or similar variations.
Vowel harmony is an important aspect of Mongolian.

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Examples

As a consequence, Finnish speakers often have problems with pronouncing foreign words which do not obey vowel harmony. Source: Internet

Even among languages with vowel harmony, not all vowels need participate in the vowel conversions; these vowels are termed neutral. Source: Internet

Finally, languages that do have vowel harmony often allow for lexical disharmony, or words with mixed sets of vowels even when an opaque neutral vowel is not involved. Source: Internet

From vowel harmony it follows that the initial syllable of each single (non-compound) word controls the frontness or backness of the entire word. Source: Internet

Helsinki slang has slang words that have roots violating vowel harmony, e.g. Sörkka. Source: Internet

In standard Finnish, these words are pronounced as they are spelled, but many speakers apply vowel harmony – olumpialaiset, and sekundaarinen or sekyndäärinen. Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms