Vowel Harmony

Vowel harmony, a phenomenon where vowels in a word share similar features, is being investigated using increasingly sophisticated computational methods to better understand its cross-linguistic patterns and underlying mechanisms. Current research employs machine learning models, including neural language models and generative adversarial networks, trained on both raw speech data and word lists, to analyze vowel harmony's complexities, such as long-distance interactions and iterative effects. Improved methods for quantifying vowel overlap and harmony, using techniques like multivariate modeling and information-theoretic measures, are enhancing the precision and reliability of cross-linguistic comparisons, particularly for under-resourced languages. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of phonological processes and language typology.