Finnish transparent vowels: Eye in the sky

Pöchtrager, Markus A. (2025) Finnish transparent vowels: Eye in the sky. ACTA LINGUISTICA ACADEMICA, 72 (2). ISSN 2559-8201

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Abstract

Transparent vowels, i.e. vowels that seem invisible to vowel harmony ( vh ), pose a challenge for feature-based and phonetically grounded accounts alike (Gafos & Dye 2011): For example, Finnish i / e are classified as [−back]/articulatorily front, yet do not (fully) pattern as such. This paper argues that their transparency follows from their internal structure, in combination with the location of the harmonic property within that structure: Non- transparent front vowels involve more complex structures with the element responsible for harmony high up, while transparent vowels have that same element in a lower position (in a sense to be made precise), which results in their being transparent to vh . Finnish transparent vowels can nevertheless participate in harmony if they “gang up”, a phenomenon that will also be given due attention. In addition, the Finnish system is briefly contrasted to that of Turkish which lacks transparent vowels altogether.

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