Some theory Flashcards
What is Complementary Distribution?
It happens when two sounds complement each other in predicable and determinate contexts which are defined. The use of the correct allophones is obligatory.
/t/→/tʰ/ → trein × /tʰreɪn/→ tank ×/tæŋk/✓/tʰæŋk/ /tr̥eɪn/
↓
/t̚/→ Hot dog ×/ˈhɒt dɒɡ/→✓/ˈhɒt̚ dɒɡ/
What is free variation?
When an allophone is in free variation, it implies that it cannot be predictable, and it happens by chance and it depends on the speaker. They have particular context where they appear, but they’re used is optional.
What is a phoneme?
They are sound unit or segments that are used to create words.
“member of a set of abstract units which together f orm the sound system of a given language and through which contrasts of meaning are produced.”
What is an allophone?
Allophones are phonetic variations - different pronunciations - of the same phoneme.
What is a syllable?
Unit larger than the phoneme but smaller than the word. They typically have a vowel as its nucleus and it can have one or more consonants to the sides.
What is a syllabic consonant?
It happens when there’s no vowel in the syllable and a consonant (/n, m, l, sometime ŋ/) takes the nucleus. Ex. bitten /’bɪtn̩/
What are the strategies applied by other languages’ speakers in order to cope with English pronunciation?
Substitution, omission and insertion
How Japanese speakers cope with English pronunciation?
Inserting a vowel between adjacent consonants and after final consonant.
Ex. lamp /læmʊpʊ/
They tend to add an /ʊ/ after a consonant, except after /t,d/ that they insert and /o/, and an /i/ after /tʃ, dʒ/.
How Italian speakers cope with English pronunciation?
By adding a vowel after final consonants. Ex. big /bɪg/→/bɪgə/
How are weak and strong syllables differentiate in terms of length and intensity?
How is the syllable composted?
The syllable onset and the rhyme, which consist of the syllable nucleus and the coda.
Ex. man /mæn/
Onset →/m/
Rhyme→nucleus /æ/
↓
Coda→/n/
What is a minimal pair? and minimal set?
A minimal pair is a pair of word that are different by a single sound.
Ex. map /mæp/ and man /mæn/
A minimal set is a group of words that are minimal pairs.
Ex: a minimal set of “man”: mine /maɪn/, map /m, æp/, mat /mæt/, men /men/, moon /mu:n/, etc.
