Chapter 3

Question 1

How are mental sounds written compared to actual pronunciations?

Answer 1

/k/ rather than [k]

Question 2

What is a set of two separate words which differ in form by one contrasting sound called?

Answer 2

Minimal pairs

Question 3

What are phonemes?

Answer 3

The mental representation of sounds in the lexicon

Question 4

What is the part of the mental grammar that handles the external expression of language?

Answer 4

Phonology

Question 5

What is nasalization?

Answer 5

A process in which vowels in front of a nasal consonant become nasalized.

Question 6

What are social meanings? What is a social minimal pair?

Answer 6

Connections between language and social groups; a social minimal pair would be as [wif] rather than [wiø] bc the former is seen as lower class

Question 7

What are rules that transform phenomes into actual pronunciation called?

Answer 7

Phonological rules

Question 8

What are natural classes?

Answer 8

A way to divide sounds (exs. Place, manner, voicing OR height, advancement, peripherality); the natural class of nasals affects the natural class of vowels in nasalization

Question 9

What is a syllable?

Answer 9

The template for sounds consisting of a rhyme

Question 10

What is the quality of having some units nested inside of other units?

Answer 10

Hierarchy (in which nodes dominate other nodes)

Question 11

What are the nodes found in syllables?

Answer 11

Sigma, composed of an onset and a rhyme which includes a nucleus and possibly coda

Question 12

What is onset maximization?

Answer 12

A human language preference for making onsets rather than codas (CV.CV rather than CVC.V)

Question 13

What are regular patterns in a language that set restrictions on sound combinations?

Answer 13

Phonotactic constraints (ex. [ng] and the glottal stop cannot be onsets in English but can in other langs)

Question 14

What is the quality that refers to the amount of “ringyness” a sound has (amplitude of sound waves)?

Answer 14

Sonority

Question 15

What is the low-back merger? What about the front-lax merger?

Answer 15

It’s where and now sound the same for many people; [I] and [3] are pronounced the same as in and . This is a conditioned merger and the conditioning environment is before nasals.

Question 16

What does the schwa rule refer to?

Answer 16

Any vowel can turn into a schwa if it’s an unstressed syllable

Question 17

What is the phonological process where certain sounds in a word are not produced?

Answer 17

Deletion (ex. West side)

Question 18

What is insertion?

Answer 18

When sounds are inserted; ex. Pronouncing Clemson as Clempson

Question 19

What is the process in which speakers make sounds more similar to other sounds?

Answer 19

Assimilation; impractical, immature, independence (in or im takes on the sound of the following consonants)

Question 20

In what environment does a flap occur?

Answer 20

The syllable following the flap has to be unstressed; butter, rider

Question 21

What is devoicing?

Answer 21

The process in which certain sounds become transparent; Crypt, clean, trip, tread (r and l are voiceless)

Question 22

What are some examples of palatalisation?

Answer 22

Did you? [dIdju] to [dId3u]; alveolar sounds become more palatal

Question 23

What is vocalisation?

Answer 23

Turning a consonant sound into a vowel sound; horse, beer, help, coal, bail

Question 24

What is intonation?

Answer 24

When the pitch of your voice is adjusted you can change the tone of what you’re saying; disbelief, question, etc.

Question 25

What is the difference between synchronic and diachronic variation?

Answer 25

Synchronic is variation in a language at one time; diachronic is variation in language over time

Question 26

What is a spoonerism?

Answer 26

When you say lable teg instead of table leg

Question 27

What is yod variation?

Answer 27

It deals with the [j] sound; yod insertion is how people say coupon as cjoupon; yod variation is how the British say tjuesday and we say Tuesday

Question 28

What is glottalization?

Answer 28

When the glottal stop is substituted for [t]; ex. Ki?in, ba?l,