palatal vowel harmony
Quick Summary
Palatal vowel harmony is a linguistic feature found in some languages where vowels are categorized into distinct classes. Affixes (like prefixes or suffixes) will adopt vowels that match the class of the vowel in the root word they are attached to. This means that within a word, certain vowels cannot appear with others. For example, in Finnish, some vowels prohibit the use of others, while a few vowels can coexist with either group. This system helps maintain phonetic consistency within words, influencing how words are formed and pronounced.12
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