Phonetics & Phonology

Question 1

Linguistic

Answer 1

The scientific study of language and its structure

Question 2

what are the two categories included in the linguistic of “grammar”

Answer 2

Morphology and syntax

Question 3

How many occurences of /i/ is there in “This pig is big”?
What’s interesting about it?

Answer 3

4, we perceive the “same” sounds. Yet, the sounds vary.

Question 4

What are called sounds that we perceive as different?

Answer 4

distinctive
/i/ vs. /a/

Question 5

a distinctive feature

Answer 5

is the most basic unit of phonological structure that distinguishes one sound from another within a language.

Question 6

The level of phonology

Answer 6

The level of sounds.
Understanding that no matter how a phoneme is pronounced, what one perceives is the same mental reality => the level of phonology

Question 7

The level of phonetic

Answer 7

The sounds as they are pronounced are different and can be measured (allophones) = phonetic level

Question 8

allophones

Answer 8

what happens to a phoneme in a particular environment
multiple possible sounds used to pronounce a single phoneme

e.g. [p] and [ph] are allophones of /p/

Question 9

Phonetics

Answer 9

The science which studies the characteristics of human soundmaking, especially those sounds used in speech, and provides methods for their description, classification and transcription.

Question 10

What are the three branches of phonetics

Answer 10

• articulatory phonetics: how sounds are made by the vocal organs = PRODUCTION
• acoustic phonetics: properties of speech sound, as transmitted between mouth and ear= PHYSICS
• auditory phonetics: the perceptual response to speech sounds, as mediated by ear, auditory nerve and brain = PERCEPTION

Question 11

Give an exemple of a difference between the level of phonology and the level of phonetic

Answer 11

phonology = /p/
phonetic = [pʰ]

Question 12

Phonation

Answer 12

the production of vocal sounds through quasi-periodic vibration. e.g. /z/

Question 13

Phonetic and phonology, which one belongs to what mental level?

Answer 13

Phoneme, phonological level ⇒ deep level
Allophone, phonetic level ⇒ surface level

Question 14

devoicing

Answer 14

when a voiced consonant becomes voiceless immediately after a voiceless obstruent
e.g. tree, cream, queue, twin…

Question 15

How do we know which sounds are allophones?

Answer 15

Allophones are predictable and can be defined by allophonic rules

Question 16

What is the allophonic rule about voiceless plosive?

Answer 16

if /p,t,k/ is at the beginning of a stressed syllable, they come with a puff of air: [pʰ, tʰ, kʰ]
They are unaspirated after /s/ or in unstressed position.
[pʰiːtə] mais [spaɪdə]

Question 17

Explain the allophones of /l/

Answer 17

Two allophones of /l/ in RP:
- [l] ( clear /l/) is used in front of a
vowel
- [ɫ] (dark /l/) : on other environment, velarized
secondary articulation

Question 18

What is the allophonic rule of devoicing of approximants

Answer 18

The approximants /r,j,w/ are devoiced following a voiceless plosive in initial stressed position.
symbol = circle under the approximant ; e.g. kɹ̥ɪs

Question 19

Complementary distribution

Answer 19

= allophones of a phoneme never occur in the same environment (there is no exception)
e.g. clear l and dark l are in complementary distribution

Question 20

Free variation

Answer 20

the possibility of substituting one sound in a word for another without changing the meaning
e.g. either

Question 21

do allophones of the same phoneme distinguish meaning?

Answer 21

no, they are noncontrastive
butter vs. bu’er

Question 22

what are the different transcription?

Answer 22

• Phonemic / Phonological / Broad transcription = only use the symbols of the phonemes of the language, extra symbols are excluded.
• Phonetic / Allophonic / Narrow transcription = the full range of phonetic symbols may be used

Question 23

What transcription is used in dictionnaries?

Answer 23

Phonological, but some allophonic variations are included
e.g. neutralised vowel

Question 24

Phonology

Answer 24

the branch of linguistics which studies the sound systems of languages. Those sounds are organised into a system of contrasts, which are analysed in terms of phonological units (phonemes)

Question 25

What are the two views of the phoneme

Answer 25

A psychological and a functional view

Question 26

phoneme (psychological view)

Answer 26

a mental reality, the speaker must have internalised an image or idealised picture of the sound. A phoneme carries a mental impression.

Question 27

the function of a phoneme according to structuralists

Answer 27

minimal unit that can function to distinguish meanings, which can be seen in minimal pairs.
e.g. pot vs. pet

Question 28

minimal pairs

Answer 28

words that differ in only one phoneme

Question 29

explain why is a phoneme a family of sound

Answer 29

The phoneme is a family of sound that are organised around a prototypical realisation.
prototypical = the phoneme par excellence, the ideal value we think of, represents the phoneme’s norm

Question 30

Are the functional and the psychological view of the phonemes irreconcilable?

Answer 30

Your prototype is in your head, it’s mental. But all the realisation serves a function, as in the functional view.

Question 31

Second articulation

Answer 31

Phonemes are units of second articulation, they have value in opposition to another but they carry no meaning. e.g. /k/

Question 32

First articulation

Answer 32

Morphemes and words are units of first articulation because they carry meaning.
e.g. tables
Two morphemes because -s = grammatical meaning