Ch. 3 Phonology Key Vocabulary

Question 1

Spectrogram

Answer 1

A graphic representation of the frequency distribution of sound waves.

Question 2

Phonology

Answer 2

The study of the abstract sound categories that organize a sound system of a language.

Question 3

Phoneme

Answer 3

A speech sound that has multiple physical realizations despite representing the same sound.

Question 4

Phone

Answer 4

A physical realization of a speech sound.

Question 5

Allophones of the phoneme

Answer 5

Phones with an alternate physical realization of the same phoneme.

Question 6

Narrow Transcription

Answer 6

Additional symbols that are added to phonemes to represent different allophones

Question 7

Distribution

Answer 7

The different positions a speech sound can or cannot occur in.

Question 8

Complementary Distribution

Answer 8

Two sounds that are distributed in a mutually exclusive way.

Question 9

Minimal Pairs

Answer 9

a pair of words that only differ in one sound, but have different meanings.

Question 10

released consonant

Answer 10

A stop consonant that has a release of air with the stop.

Question 11

un-released consonant

Answer 11

A consonant that ends with a stop that has no release burst at the end of the sound.

Question 12

Free variation

Answer 12

Speakers can choose which allophone they use to pronounce a word without changing the meaning.

Question 13

Neutralisation

Answer 13

When the contrast between phonemes becomes invisible.

Question 14

Final Devoicing

Answer 14

When the final sound in a voiced phoneme is a voiceless allophone.

Question 15

Velarised/dark l

Answer 15

When the alveloar sound of L is modified with a raised tongue.

Question 16

Aspirated stop/Aspiration

Answer 16

When the final stop of a word if produced with an extra breath of air.

Question 17

t/d flapping

Answer 17

when the t and d phonemes are neutralized in a particular phonetic context.

Question 18

non-rhotic

Answer 18

Varieties of English where r-sounds do not occur in the word-final position of a word that ends with r.

Question 19

rhortic

Answer 19

English varieties where r-sounds can occur in the word-final position.

Question 20

constituents

Answer 20

The elements that make up a syllable.

Question 21

syllabic consonants

Answer 21

Consonants that occupy the central part of the syllable.

Question 22

nucleus

Answer 22

The ‘slot for vowel’ of a syllable. Can contain vowel, diphthong, or syllabic consonant.

Question 23

coda

Answer 23

The postvocalic ‘slot of consonants’ in a syllable

Question 24

onset

Answer 24

The prevocalic ‘slot of consonants’ in a syllable

Question 25

vowel epenthesis

Answer 25

The insertion of vowels into syllables.

Question 26

syllabification

Answer 26

Assigning syllable structure to words.

Question 27

Maximal Onset Principle

Answer 27

Syllabification occurs so that as many consonants as possible end up in an onset.

Question 28

sonority

Answer 28

The acoustic impression of ‘clear audibility’.

Question 29

Sonority Sequencing
Principle

Answer 29

Sonority peaks at the nucleus and is less intense during the onset and coda.