Ch. 3 Phonology Key Vocabulary

Question 1

Phonetic inventories

Answer 1

the sounds that are produced as part of a language

Question 2

Phonotactic Constraints

Answer 2

restrictions on possible combinations of sounds

Question 3

Sound Substitution

Answer 3

process in which sounds that exist in a language are used to replace sounds that do not exist in said language

Question 4

Aspiration

Answer 4

puff or air released after the production of a consonant

Question 5

Noncontrasive

Answer 5

two sounds that are not used to differentiate words in language

Question 6

Contrasive

Answer 6

two sounds that can be used to differentiate words in a language

Question 7

Contrasive distribution

Answer 7

two sounds occur in same phonetic environment

Question 8

phonetic environment

Answer 8

the sounds that come before and after a particular sound in a word

Question 9

Minimal pair

Answer 9

two words whose pronunciations differ by one sound

Question 10

Complementary distribution

Answer 10

sounds in a language that are never found in the same phonetic environment

Question 11

free variation

Answer 11

two sounds that occur in overlapping environments

Question 12

Overlapping distribution

Answer 12

sounds that can occur in the same environment

Question 13

Conditioning environment

Answer 13

neighboring sounds of a given sound that cause it to undergo change

Question 14

silibants

Answer 14

segments that have a high-pitched. hissing sound quality

Question 15

Obstruents

Answer 15

sounds produced with an obstruction of airflow and include stops, fricatives, and affricates

Question 16

Sonorants

Answer 16

segments produced with an open passage of airflow

Question 17

Assimilation

Answer 17

process by which a sound becomes more like a nearby sound

Question 18

dissimilation

Answer 18

process by which two close sounds become less similar

Question 19

Insertion

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Deletion

Answer 20

process by which a sound present in phonemic form is removed from phonemic form

Question 21

Metathesis

Answer 21

Switching the order of two sounds

Question 22

Strengthening

Answer 22

sounds are made stronger

Question 23

Weakening

Answer 23

sounds become weaker

Question 24

Implicational Law

Answer 24

observation about language universals that takes the form of an implication

Question 25

Palatalization

Answer 25

process in which a sound takes on a palatal place of articulation