Phonetics

Question 1

Prescriptive Grammar

Answer 1

Rules about how language should be

According to a predetermined arbitrary standard

Example: ain’t isn’t correct grammar

Question 2

Descriptive Grammar

Answer 2

Rules about how language is

what speakers of a language actually do

Example: adjectives come before the nouns they describe

Question 3

What is Phonetics

Answer 3

the sounds of spoken language

all possible sounds

Question 4

What are active articulators

Answer 4

Lips and tongue

Question 5

What are passive articulators

Answer 5

*don’t move
Alveolar ridge
hard palate
soft palate
uvula

Question 6

What determines nasality

Answer 6

the lowering of the velum to allow air to pass through the nasal cavity

Question 7

Place of articulation

Answer 7

point of contact between active and passive articulators

Question 8

Manner of articulation

Answer 8

How the articulators interact when sound is produced

Question 9

All vowels are…

Answer 9

voiced

Question 10

Phonology

Answer 10

how sounds interact and the certain phonetic features they contain

Question 11

Contrastive distribution

Answer 11

have minimal pairs (usually)
unpredictable
appear in the same phonetic environment
allophones of different phonemes

Question 12

Complementary distribution

Answer 12

predictable
two sounds appear in different phonetic environments
allophones of the same phoneme

Question 13

Phoneme

Answer 13

the smallest unit of sound

Question 14

Allophone

Answer 14

variations in pronunciation of a given phoneme

Question 15

phonotactic constraints

Answer 15

rules on the types of sounds that are allowed to occur in particular environments in a given language

Question 16

Assimilation (definition and example)

Answer 16

when environments force phonemes to change (assimilate) to more closely resemble the environment

Example:
handbag –> hambag

Question 17

deletion

Answer 17

when phonemes are omitted

Example: memory (o is omitted)

Question 18

Epenthesis

Answer 18

when phonemes are inserted

Example: comfortable –> comfterable

Question 19

Metathesis

Answer 19

when the order of phonemes are changed

Example: Comfortable