Finnish phonotactics
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[edit] Syllables
The most common syllable structure in Finnish is CV, followed by CVC, CVV, CVVC, VC, V, VV, CVCC, VVC and VCC. These are all found in native vocabulary. In loanwords and proper names the following syllables structures are also found: CVVCC, CCV, CCVC, CCVCC, CCVV, CCVVC, CCCV, CCCVC and CCCVCC. A syllable nucleus is the first mora of a syllable, and every following phoneme segment is another mora.[1]
[edit] Vowels
[edit] Sequences
All eight of the vowels in the Finnish language may be long. The three vowels /eː/, /øː/ and /oː/ are however less frequent than the other vowels, as they were diphthongized in an early sound change, leading to the diphthongs /i͡e/, /y͡ø/ and /u͡o/. They have however entered the language again through loanwords, meaning you are also able to find /eː/, /øː/ and /oː/ in modern Finnish, e.g. "moottori", English "motor". The mentioned diphthongs are also the only diphthongs in the Finnish language not to end in a high vowel, but instead in a mid vowel. The 15 other diphthongs are /e͡i/, /y͡i/, /ø͡i/, /æ͡i/, /ɑ͡i/, /o͡i/, /u͡i/, /u͡i/; /i͡u/, /e͡u/, /e͡u/, /ɑ͡u/, /o͡u/; /e͡y/, /i͡y/, /ø͡y/ and /æ͡y/.[2]
Another 20 vowel combinations may be found in Finnish, but these are neither long vowels nor diphthongs, but instead two vowels with a syllable boundary. These are /i.ø/, /i.æ/, /i.ɑ/, /i.o/; /e.ø/, /e.æ/, /e.ɑ/, /e.o/; /y.e/, /y.æ/; /ø.e/, /ø.æ/; /æ.e/, /æ.ø/; /ɑ.e/, /ɑ.o/; /o.e/, /o.ɑ/; /u.e/ and /u.ɑ/.[2]
Besides the vowel combinations consisting of monophthongs, diphthongs may also be combined with monophthongs, and diphthongs with diphthongs, making the possibilities of vowel sequences very big. For instance, consider words such as "aiemmin" /ɑ͡i.emːin/ and "vaaoissa" /vɑː.o͡isːɑ/, English "earlier" and "in a pair of scales", respectively.[2]
[edit] Harmony
Vowel harmony is present in Finnish meaning that only certain vowels may be found together within a word. Two of the Finnish vowels, /i/ and /e/, are neutral and can occur with any other vowel. The front harmonic vowels /y/ /ø/ and /æ/ can only occur together or with the neutral vowels, and likewise with their counterparts, the back harmonic vowels /u/, /o/ and /ɑ/. Thus, if you have a noun and an inessive case ending, the ending will be -ssä when used on a word such as "kylä", English "village", the result will be "kylässä", and not -ssa, so that it becomes "kylässa", English "in the village", as the front vowels of "kylä", /y/ and /æ/, can not occur within the same word as the back vowel of the ending, /ɑ/.[2]
The vowel harmony is not found across the different parts making up a compound noun, so you find both front- and back vowels in a word such as "isoisä", English "grandfather", consisting of the word "iso", English "big", and "isä", English father. Also, in more recent loanwords the vowel harmony is lost, such as in the word "olympialaiset", English "Olympic Games" – some speakers, however, apply vowel harmony themselves, pronouncing it "olumpialaiset".[2]
[edit] Consonants
[edit] Sequences
[edit] Word-initial
The consonants /p/, /t/, /s/, /h/, /l/, /r/, /m/, /n/, /j/ and /ʋ/ may all be found word-initially in words of the native vocabulary of Finnish. In recent loanwords /d/ is also common, and so are /f/, /b/ and /ɡ/ to a lesser extent.[3]
Contrary to modern belief, modern Finnish does also have word-initial consonant clusters, of two or three consonants. The former are far more common, with the latter only being found in a few words. In older Finnish words never began with a consonant cluster, and loanwords were adapted to this pattern, e.g. "ranta" ('shore') < Swedish "strand"'. This has however changed over the years, and today consonant clusters are found word-initially in modern Finnish, e.g. "traktori" ('tractor'). In modern Finnish there are three groups of initial two-consonant clusters: the first group consists of the plosive consonants /p t k/ followed by a liquid consonant, making the consonant clusters /pl/, /pr/, /tr/, /kl/ and /kr/ (/tl/ however does not occur); the second group consists of one of the aforementioned plosive consonants preceded by /s/, making the consonant clusters /sp/, /st/ and /sk/; and the third group consists of all the consonant clusters not found in the two other groups, all found in specific loanwords, such as /ps/, /dr/ and /fl/ in the respective words, "psykologi" ('psychologist'), "draama" ('drama') and "flunssa" ('flu'). In modern Finnish three-consonant clusters are also present, but these are very rare. The two most common consonant clusters of this kind are /spr/ and /str/, appearing in words such as "sprintteri" ('sprinter') and "stressi" ('stress').[3]
Common for both kinds of consonant clusters is that they both may be adapted to the old pattern saying no word-initial consonant cluster is possible by some speakers, especially older speakers. If this is done, only the last consonant of the consonant cluster is pronounced. So a word such as "stressi" may be pronounced as [resːi].[3]
[edit] Word-internal
All consonants but /ŋ/ may stand alone word-internally. Consonant clusters are CC, CCC and less frequently CCCC.[4]
Two-consonant clusters can be divided into two groups: geminated consonants and two dissimilar consonants. Geminated */jː/ and */ʋː/ do not exist phonemically, while geminated /dː/, /bː/, /ɡː/, /fː/ and /ʃː/ are rare and occur only in very recent loanwords. Geminated /hː/ is very rare, only found in one word, "hihhuli" (a colloquial term for a religious person). When it comes to dissimilar consonants, in native vocabulary /d/ is only found in the consonant cluster /hd/, and /ŋ/ in /ŋk/, but in loanwords these may also appear together with other consonants, such as /nd/ in "kandidaatti" ('candidate') and /ŋn/ in "magneetti" ('magnet'). In the same way, a nasal stop cannot follow a plosive consonant or be followed by a liquid consonant traditionally, but in loanwords it can, e.g. "hypnoosi" ('hypnosis') and "vänrikki" ('ensign'). In general, loanwords have created the way to many new consonant clusters which were not found in older Finnish.[4]
Medial clusters of plosive + liquid can occur in native vocabulary, examples including "kupla" ('bubble') and "huotra" ('scabbard'), but they are rather rare due to historical vocalization of the plosive in many cases: for example *eklen > "eilen" ('yesterday'), *atra > "aura" ('plough').
All medial three-consonant clusters have a liquid or nasal as their first consonant, and one of /p/, /t/, /k/ and /s/ as the two other consonants, although there are many exceptions to this rule due to loanwords. The only native word to Finnish which strays from this is "horsma" ('willowherb'). Some loanwords which have completely different CCC clusters are "teksti" ('text') and "spektri" ('spectrum'). Four-consonant clusters are only found in loanwords, e.g. "instrumentti" ('instrument') and "abstrakti" ('abstract').[4]
[edit] Word-final
Only the consonants /t/, /s/, /n/, /l/ and /r/ may be found word-finally in native words in Finnish, of which the two lastmentioned are only found rarely. Word-final two-consonant clusters are very rare, and are only found in a couple of onomatopoetic interjections and loanwords, such as "rits" (onomatopoetic) and "preesens" ('present tense').[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] General
- Suomi, Kari, Toivanen, Juhani, Ylitalo, Riikka (2008). Finnish Sound Structure: Phonetics, Phonology, Phonotactics and Prosody. Studia Humaniora Ouluensia. 9. Oulu, Finland: University of Oulu. ISBN 978-951-42-8984-2. http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9789514289842/.
