Chapter 3 Phonology Key Vocabulary

Question 1

Phonology

Answer 1

The study of the sound systems of language, how the particular sounds contrast in each language to form an integrated system for encoding information, and how such systems differ from one language to another.

Question 2

Phonetic Inventories

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Phonotactic Constraints

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Sound Substitution

Answer 4

A process whereby sounds already exist in a language are used to replace sounds that so not exist in the language when borrowing or when a speaker is trying to pronounce a foreign word.

Question 5

Implicational Law

Answer 5

Observation about language universals that takes the form of an implication.

Question 6

Aspiration

Answer 6

A puff of air that follows the release of consonant when there is a delay in the onset of voicing.

Question 7

Noncontrastive

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Contrastive

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Allophone

Answer 9

One of a set of noncontrastive realizations of the same phoneme.

Question 10

Distribution

Answer 10

The set of phonetic environments in which a sound occurs.

Question 11

Phonetic Environment

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Contrastive Distribution

Answer 12

The occurrence of sounds in a language such that their use distinguishes between the meanings of words in which they appear, indicating that those sounds are phonemes of the language in question.

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

Complementary Distribution

Answer 14

The occurrence of sounds in a language such that they are never found in the same phonetic environment.

Question 15

Free Variation

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Overlapping Distribution

Answer 16

The occurrence of sounds in the same phonetic environments.

Question 17

Phonological Rules

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Underlying Form

Answer 18

The phonetic form of a word or morpheme before phonological rules are applied.

Question 19

Conditioning Environment

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Natural Class

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Sibilant

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Labial

Answer 22

A member of a natural class of sounds produced with the lips.

Question 23

Obstruent

Answer 23

A natural class of sounds produced with an obstruction of the airflow in the oral cavity while the nasal cavity is closed off.

Question 24

Sonorants

Answer 24

Sound produced with a relatively open passage of airflow.

Question 25

Palatalization

Answer 25

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].