File 3

Question 1

Phonotactic Constraints

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Allophone

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Phoneme

Answer 3

A class of speech sounds identified by a native speaker as the same sound; a mental entity related to various allophones by phonological rules.

Question 4

Noncontrastive

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Contrastive

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Contrastive distribution

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

Complementary distribution

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Overlapping distribution

Answer 8

The occurrence of sounds in the same phonetic environments.

Question 9

Conditioning environment

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Obstruent

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Sonorant

Answer 11

Sound(usually voiced) produced with a relatively open passage of airflow. Nasals, liquids, glides, and vowels are all sonorants.

Question 12

Assimilation

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Palatalization

Answer 13

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 14

Dissimilation

Answer 14

Process by which two nearby sounds become less alike with respect to some feature.

Question 15

Basic allophone

Answer 15

The allophone of a phoneme that is used when none of the change-inducing conditions are fulfilled.

Question 16

Restricted allophone

Answer 16

An allophone of a phoneme that appears in a more limited set of phonetic environments.

Question 17

Near-minimal pairs

Answer 17

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 are only almost identical, apart from the contrastive sounds.

Question 18

Vocal harmony

Answer 18

Long distance assimilation between vowels

Question 19

Metathesis

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Deletion

Answer 20

A process by which a sound present in the phonetic form is removed from the phonetic form in certain environments.

Question 21

Weakening

Answer 21

A process through which sounds are made “weaker” according to some criterion.

Question 22

Strengthening

Answer 22

A process through which sounds are made “stronger” according to some criterion.

Question 23

Aspiration

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Free variation

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Minimal pair

Answer 25

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