Ch. 3 - Phonology

Question 1

Phonetic Inventory

Answer 1

The set of sounds that are produced as part of the grammar of a language.

Question 2

Phonotactic Constraint

Answer 2

Restriction on possible combinations of sounds, often in particular environments.

Question 3

Sound Substitution

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

Complimentary Distribution

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Conditioning Environment

Answer 5

Neighboring sounds of a given sound that cause it to undergo a change.

Question 6

Contrastive

Answer 6

A term used to describe two sounds that can be used to differentiate words in a language.

Question 7

Contrastive Distribution

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

Distribution

Answer 8

The set of phonetic environments in which a sound occurs.

Question 9

Free Variation

Answer 9

Term used to refer to two sounds that occur in overlapping environments but cause no distinction in the meaning of their respective words.

Question 10

Insertion

Answer 10

Phonological process by which a segment not present in the phonemic form is added in the phonemic form.

Question 11

Labial

Answer 11

A member of a natural class of sounds produced with the lips; includes both bilabial and labiodental sounds.

Question 12

Metathesis

Answer 12

Switching of the order of two sounds, each taking the place of the other.

Question 13

Minimal Pair

Answer 13

Two words that differ only by a single sound in the same position and that have different meanings.

Question 14

Natural Class

Answer 14

Group of sounds in a language that satisfy a given description to the exclusion of other sounds in that language.

Question 15

Near-Minimal Pair

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Noncontrastive

Answer 16

A term used to describe two sounds that are not used to differentiate words in a language.

Question 17

Obstruent

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

Obligatory Rule

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

Optional Rule

Answer 19

Phonological, morphological, or syntactic rule that may or may not apply in an individual’s speech.

Question 20

Overlapping Distribution

Answer 20

The occurrence of sounds in the same phonetic environments.

Question 21

Palatalization

Answer 21

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].

Question 22

Phoneme

Answer 22

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/.

Question 23

Phonetic Environment

Answer 23

The sounds that come before and after a particular sound in a word.

Question 24

Assimilation

Answer 24

A process by which a sound becomes more like a nearby sound in terms of some feature(s).

Question 25

Phonological Rule

Answer 25

The description of a relationship between a phoneme and its allophones and the conditioning environment in which the allophone appears.

Question 26

Sibilant

Answer 26

A member of the natural class of sounds that are characterized by a high-pitched hissing quality.

Question 27

Allophone

Answer 27

One of a set of noncontrasive realizations of the same phoneme; an actual phonetic segment.

Question 28

Basic Allophone

Answer 28

The allophone of a phoneme that is used when none of the change-inducing conditions are fulfilled. Of a set of allophones, it is generally least limited in where it can occur; also termed the elsewhere allophone.