Phonology Flashcards
Terms in Chapter 2
Phoneme
smallest unit of speech distinguishing one word
Phonology
the study of abstract categories that organize the sound system of a language
Spectrogram
graphic representation of the frequency distribution of the complex jumble of sound waves that give the hearing impression of speech sounds
Phone
physical realization of a speech sound like the voiceless or voiced alveolar approximate
Allophones of the Phoneme
phones which function as alternate realizations of the same phoneme
Distribution
different positions in which a speech sound can occur or cannot occur in the words of a language
Complementary Distribution
two sounds which are distributed in such a way that one can only occur where the other cannot occur
Minimal Pairs
pair of words which differ in only one sound, but differ in meaning
Free Variation
speakers can choose (not meant to imply conscious decision on part of speaker) which allophone they use
Neutralization
in a particular context, a contrast between phonemes becomes invisible
Final Devoicing
voiced phoneme has a voiceless allophone in word-final position
Aspirated Stop
stop that is produced with an extra “breath of air”
Flap
sound in which tongue very quickly taps the alveolar ridge once
T/D flapping
contrast between the /t/ and /d/ phonemes neutralized in a particular phonetic context
Zero Allophone
when an allophone is present in a word but does not have phonetic realization
