Ch. 3 - Phonology Flashcards
Phonetic Inventory
The set of sounds that are produced as part of the grammar of a language.
Phonotactic Constraint
Restriction on possible combinations of sounds, often in particular environments.
Sound Substitution
A process whereby sounds that already exist in a language are used to replace sounds that do not exist in the language when borrowing or when a speaker is trying to pronounce a foreign word.
Complimentary Distribution
The occurrence of sounds in a language such that they are never found in the same phonetic environment. Sounds that are in complementary distribution are allophones of the same phoneme.
Conditioning Environment
Neighboring sounds of a given sound that cause it to undergo a change.
Contrastive
A term used to describe two sounds that can be used to differentiate words in a language.
Contrastive Distribution
The occurrence of sounds in a language such that their use distinguishes between the meanings of the words in which they appear, indicating that those sounds are phonemes of the language in question Sounds that are in contrastive distribution are allophones of different phonemes.
Distribution
The set of phonetic environments in which a sound occurs.
Free Variation
Term used to refer to two sounds that occur in overlapping environments but cause no distinction in the meaning of their respective words.
Insertion
Phonological process by which a segment not present in the phonemic form is added in the phonemic form.
Labial
A member of a natural class of sounds produced with the lips; includes both bilabial and labiodental sounds.
Metathesis
Switching of the order of two sounds, each taking the place of the other.
Minimal Pair
Two words that differ only by a single sound in the same position and that have different meanings.
Natural Class
Group of sounds in a language that satisfy a given description to the exclusion of other sounds in that language.
Near-Minimal Pair
Similar to a minimal pair, but whereas the words in a minimal pair are identical apart from the contrastive sounds, the words in a near-minimal pair are only almost identical, apart from the contrastive sounds.
Noncontrastive
A term used to describe two sounds that are not used to differentiate words in a language.
Obstruent
A natural class of sounds produced with an obstruction of the airflow in the oral cavity while the nasal cavity while the nasal cavity is closed off. Includes oral stops, fricatives, and affricates.
Obligatory Rule
Phonological, morphological, or syntactic rule that applies in the speech of all speakers of a language or dialect, regardless of style of rate of speech.
Optional Rule
Phonological, morphological, or syntactic rule that may or may not apply in an individual’s speech.
Overlapping Distribution
The occurrence of sounds in the same phonetic environments.
Palatalization
A process wherein a sound takes on a palatal place of articulation, usually in assimilation to high or mid front vowels like [i] or [e].
Phoneme
A class of speech sounds identified by a native speaker as the same sound; a mental entity (or category) related to various allophones by phonological rules. Phonemes are written between slashes, for example, /t/.
Phonetic Environment
The sounds that come before and after a particular sound in a word.
Assimilation
A process by which a sound becomes more like a nearby sound in terms of some feature(s).
