Finnish Phonotactics - Consonants - Consonant Gradation

Consonant Gradation

"Consonant gradation" is the term used for a set of alternations which pervade the language, between a "strong grade" and a "weak grade". These alternations are always conditioned by both phonology and morphosyntax. The phonological factor which triggers the weak grade is the syllable structure of closed syllable. However, there are contexts where weak grade fails to occur in a closed syllable, and there are contexts where the weak grade occurs in an open syllable. Morphosyntactically, the weak grade occurs in nominals (nouns, pronouns, adjectives) usually only before case suffixes, and in verbs usually only before person agreement suffixes.

The "strong grade" is usually the phonologically basic form. Usually, the strong grade occurs in an open syllable (one ending in a vowel) and the weak grade occurs in a closed syllable (one ending in a consonant). The consonants subject to this change are the plosives {p, t, k} when preceded by a vowel or a sonorant ({m, n, l, r}). Consonant gradation appears as degemination in case of the geminates and as a change to an homorganic consonant for single plosives.

The following is a partial list of strong → weak correspondences. All the examples involve the nominative singular versus nominative plural.

• Degemination

• /pː/ → /p/ (pappi – papit 'priest(s)')
• /kː/ → /k/ (pukki – pukit, 'billy goat(s)')
• /tː/ → /t/ (katto – katot, 'roof(s)')

• Lenition

• /p/ → /ʋ/ (läpi – lävet 'hole(s)')
• /k/ → hiatus (pako – paot 'escape(s)')
• /t/ → /d/ (katu – kadut 'street(s)')

• Assimilation to a preceding sonorant

• /mp/ → /mː/ (kampi – kammet)
• /ŋk/ → /ŋː/ (kenkä – kengät 'shoe(s)'; note that ⟨ng⟩ does not represent )
• /nt/ → /nː/ (lento – lennot 'flight(s)')
• /lt/ → /lː/ (kielto – kiellot 'prohibition(s)')
• /rt/ → /rː/ (parta – parrat 'beard(s)')

• Some exceptions

• /lke/, /rke/, /hke/ → /lje/, /rje/, /hje/ (jälki – jäljet 'trace(s)', kurki – kurjet 'crane(s)', lahjex – lahkeet 'pant leg(s)')
• /uku/, /yky/ → /uʋu/, /yʋy/ (puku – puvut 'suit(s)', kyky – kyvyt 'skill(s)')

Historical phonological changes occasionally complicate the picture, creating exceptions to the general correspondence of strong grade:open syllable::weak grade:closed syllable.

ranne "wrist" → ranteen

tavata "to meet" → tapaan "I meet"

Because one of the triggers for consonant gradation is syllable structure, some exceptions in consonant gradation can be traced to later sound changes which alter the syllable structure of words. One such example is found in the illative singular of nouns, e.g. kukka 'flower' → kukkaan 'flower+Illative'. If following the basic rule that a closed syllable causes the deletion of a syllable initial p, t, or k, then the conclusion would be ungrammatical: ˣkukaan. However, due to a historical development in which -h- was deleted in some unstressed medial positions, this particular instance does not result in consonant gradation (kukka+han → kukkaan). Forms such as kukkahan, without the deletion of the 'h', are still found in the southern Pohjanmaa dialect and occasionally in poetry.

As most long vowels in non-initial syllables result from loss of former intervening vowels, it can be stated as a phonological rule that the weak grade rarely occurs before a long vowel. Other examples include strong grade verb forms like tapaan (from *tapaðan). However, the present tense passive ending -taan shows a weak grade compared to the strong grade of the other passive forms such as the past (-ttiin) and conditional (-ttaisiin) passive. As the conditional ending is clearly segmented into three parts -tta-isi-in, where -isi- is the conditional mood suffix, it could be argued that the present tense simply lacks any infix at all. By this reasoning, the suffix is underlyingly *-tta-an, which consists of a long vowel with no lost consonant, so that the initial consonant is weakened.

Personal first names and recent loans do not gradate in quality in most cases (e.g. Hilta – Hiltan, wiki – wikin); though do sometimes in quantity (e.g. Pekka – Pekan). Surnames, however, do. Acronyms do not gradate if they include the vowel (NaPa – NaPan, cf. common word napa – navan), but gradate if end in a consonant (PIK – PIK:n ).