The sound patterns of language Flashcards
Phonology
the description of the systems and patterns of the speech sounds in a language.
phoneme
a meaning-distinguishing sound in a language
eg /t/
phone (plural phones)
a different variation of a phoneme
[t]
“sound in the mouth”
allophones
a set of phones (versions) of a specific phoneme.
eg [tʰ]
aspiration
a puff of air
eg accompanying the sound [t] in tar, but not in star.
stops consonants in the beginning of word/syllable.
minimal pair (in the the phonology of english)
two (or more) word are identical but exept contrast in one phoneme. eg foot-fate, pig-dig
phonotactics
permitted arrangements of sounds
there are definite patterns (types of sound combination) allowed in a language.
eg. WORKS vig, lig
NOT WORK [fsig] or [rnig]
syllable
(onset) + rhyme + (coda)
consenant(s)+vowel+consenant(s)
pl + a + nt
consonant cluster
more than one consonant in a onset or coda. eg pl(a)nt.
s + voiceless stop + liquid/glide
coarticulation effects
“problems” with articulation of words in everyday speech. Not negative, just happens.
assimilation
when two sound segments occur in sequence and some aspects of one segment is “copied” by the other.
eg. I have to go -> I “[hæftə]”
nasalization
(form of assimilation but for vowels)
Nasalised articulation in advance.
eg pin, pan represented by ~ above i or ae. [ẽ] [z̃]
“Every vowel becomes nasal whenever it immeditely precedes a nasal.”
elision
a process of not pronouncing a sound segment that might be pronounced when careful.
eg camera [kæmrə] , interest [ɪntrɪst]
