Phonology: case studies
By Scott Myers and Megan Crowhurst
Department of Linguistics at the University of Texas
Vowel length alternations in Turkish
In this module we describe and analyse a case of compensatory lengthening found in Turkish. Compensatory lengthening is a phonological phenomenon that produces an alternation in vowel length in that an underlyingly short vowel is lengthened in a specific context on the surface. Turkish has a number of other sound phenomena that produces alternation in vowel length. We will not discuss these here, but we encourage you to consult some of the sources listed on our references page.