Editing Word (section)

===Phonology===
One distinguishable meaning of the term "word" can be defined on phonological grounds. It is a unit larger or equal to a syllable, which can be distinguished based on segmental or [[Prosody (linguistics)|prosodic]] features, or through its interactions with phonological rules. In [[Walmajarri language|Walmatjari]], an Australian language, roots or suffixes may have only one syllable but a phonologic word must have at least two syllables. A disyllabic verb root may take a zero suffix, e.g. {{lang|wmt|luwa-ø}} 'hit!', but a monosyllabic root must take a suffix, e.g. {{lang|wmt|ya-nta}} 'go!', thus conforming to a segmental pattern of Walmatjari words. In the [[Pitjantjatjara dialect]] of the [[Wati language]], another language form Australia, a word-medial syllable can end with a consonant but a word-final syllable must end with a vowel.{{r|WACLT|p=14}}

In most languages, [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] may serve a criterion for a phonological word. In languages with a fixed stress, it is possible to ascertain word boundaries from its location. Although it is impossible to predict word boundaries from stress alone in languages with phonemic stress, there will be just one syllable with primary stress per word, which allows for determining the total number of words in an utterance.{{r|WACLT|p=16}}

Many phonological rules operate only within a phonological word or specifically across word boundaries. In [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], dental consonants /d/, /t/, /l/ or /n/ assimilate to a following semi-vowel /j/, yielding the corresponding palatal sound, but only within one word. Conversely, external [[sandhi]] rules act across word boundaries. The prototypical example of this rule comes from [[Sanskrit]]; however, initial [[consonant mutation]] in contemporary [[Celtic languages]] or the [[linking r]] phenomenon in some [[Rhoticity in English|non-rhotic]] English dialects can also be used to illustrate word boundaries.{{r|WACLT|p=17}}

It is often the case that a phonological word does not correspond to our intuitive conception of a word. The [[Finnish language|Finnish]] compound word {{lang|fi|pääkaupunki}} 'capital' is phonologically two words ({{lang|fi|pää}} 'head' and {{lang|fi|kaupunki}} 'city') because it does not conform to Finnish patterns of [[vowel harmony]] within words. Conversely, a single phonological word may be made up of more than one syntactical elements, such as in the English phrase ''I'll come'', where ''I'll'' forms one phonological word.{{r|Brown2005|p=13:618}}