Phonology Flashcards
phonology
the study of the speech sounds within a langauge and within a speaker’s grammar, as well as how these sounds vary due to context
phonetic inventories
knowledge of all sounds in a language
phonotactics
rules for putting sounds together in a language
- sequences of consonants and vowels
- which sounds can be combined?
syllable
unit of organization for speech sounds; building blocks of words
- onset: any consonants at the beginning of the syllable
- rhyme:
- nucleus: usually the vowel
- coda: any consonants at the end of the syllable
- only one vowel or dipthong per syllable
- up to three consonants on either side of the vowel
sonority
the relative loudness of a sound
- dependent of how much friction and blockage there is
- more blockage = less sonorous
- goes by types of sounds, not individual sounds
natural class
these are the “types” of sounds which share something in common that separates them from other sounds
- consonants vs. vowels
- voiced vs. voiceless segments
- [d, g, b, z…] vs. [t, k, p, s…]
- labials vs. bilabiels
- [p, b, f, v, m, w] vs. [p, b, m]
- sibilants
- [s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ]
- obstruents
- sonorants
obstruents
sounds with more obstructed airflow
- stops, fricatives, affricatives
sonorants
segments with less obsruction; have non-turbulent airflow
- vowels, nasals, approximants (liquids/glides)
phoneme
a minimal unit of sound in a language
- makes a difference in the meaning
- the mental representation of the sound; what you’re trying to say
E.g., /p/ and /b/
- [pɪt] vs. [bɪt]
- contrastive distribution: environments are unpredictable
- /written in slashes/
allophone
the variants of a phoneme
- does not make a difference in the meaning
- the actual pronunciation of the sound we’re trying to say
- E.g., [p] [pʰ] [p̚ ]
- spit vs. pit vs. sip
- complementary distribution: environments are predictable
- [square brackets]
minimal pairs
set of two words that differ by only one sound in the exact same place; they denote separate phonemes
- [sɪp] vs. [sɪt]
- Are /p/ and /t/ phonemes?
- Yes!
distribution
phonetic environment a sound can occur in
- complementary or contrastive
- not all environments are possible for all sounds
contrastive distribution
two different sounds are contrastive distribution if they can occur in the same position; replacing them with one another changes the word’s meaning
- E.g., [b_t]
- [bɪt] [bæt]
- [bɛt] [boʊt]
- [but] [bɑt]
- [bit]
- We cannot predict which vowel will occur in this environment
complementary distribution
sounds of the same kind (allophones) occur in different environments and don’t overlap
- if we know the environment, we can always predict which sound will appear
free variation
when one allophone is used in the environment of another allophone
- unpredictable but not contrasive
- E.g.,
- /kɪtn/: [kʰɪʔn̩ ] vs. [kʰɪtn̩ ]
phonological rules
rules written to describe what happens to sounds within a language
- descriptive, not prescriptive
- describe the creation of allophones
- vary cross-liguistically, but may occue in multiple languages
- multiple rules can apply & interact within words
optional rules
can happen in a language’s phonology, but there are no constraints that stipulate that this charge is necessary
- E.g., Did you go?
- [‘dɪdʒə goʊ] vs. [dɪd ju goʊ]
obligatory rules
are necessary within a language; happen naturally, often without the speaker even being aware of the change
- E.g., Vowel nasalization
- dimly lit [dɪ̃mli lɪt]
assimilation
making things become more similar
- nasalization: V → [+nasal] / _ [+nasal]$
- voicing assimilation:
- E.g., stopped
- /stɑpd/ becomes [stɑpt]
- In this case, it’s due to the voiceless quality of the
consonant preceding the final consonant
- C[+voice] → [-voice] / C[-voice] _
dissimilation
makings things become less similar
- E.g., fifth
- /fɪfθ/ becomes [fɪft]
insertion
adding a sound for various reasons
- E.g., athlete
- /æθlit/ becomes [æθəlit] to break up the consonant
cluster
- E.g., hamster
- /hæmstɹ/ becomes [hæmpstɹ̩]
deletion
deleting a sound for various reasons
- E.g., family
- /ˈfæməli/ becomes [ˈfæmli]
- E.g., handbag
- /hænd.bæg/ becomes [hæn.bæg]
metathesis
switching two sounds around
- E.g., ask
- /æsk/ becomes [æks]
palatalization
the ariticulation of a sound moves more towards the palate
- E.g., did you
- [dɪd ju] becomes [‘dɪdʒə]
fortition (strengthening)
process that strengthens the articulation of a sound
- english aspiration (pʰ)
- vowel lengthening
lenition (weakening)
process that weakens the articulation of a sound
- flapping/tapping
- vowel reduction (schwa: ə)
- t or d –> taps
vowel rules
- raising
- lowering
- backing
- fronting
