Vocab List - 9/27/2020 Flashcards
Phonology
the study of abstract categories that organise the sound system of language
Spectrogram
graphic representation of the frequency distribution of the complex jumble of sound waves that give the hearing impression of speech sounds
Distribution
the different positions in which a speech sound can occur or cannot occur in the words of a language
Minimal pairs
a pair of words which differ in only one sound, but differ in meaning
Neutralisation
the idea that in a particular context, a contrast between phonemes becomes visible
Rhotic
varieties of English in which the r-sounds can occur in word-final position
Constituents
the elements that make up a syllable
Syllabic consonants
consonants which occupy the central part of the syllable
Nucleus
this is the slot for the vowel in a syllable
Vowel epenthesis
the technical term for the insertion of vowels into syllables
Syllabification
assigning syllable structure to words
Maximal Onset Principle
a principle determining underlying syllable division. It states that intervocalic consonants are maximally assigned to the onsets of syllables in conformity with universal and language-specific conditions
Sonority
the technical term for the category that captures our acoustic impression of clear audibility
Sonority Sequencing Principle
a phonotactic principle that aims to outline the structure of a syllable in terms of sonority
Phoneme
a phoneme is a unit of sound that distinguishes one word from another in a particular language
Phone
a physical realisation of a speech sound like the voiceless or the voiced alveolar approximant
Narrow transcription
this captures as many aspects of a specific pronunciation as possible and ignores as few details as possible
Complementary distribution
two sounds which are distributed in such a way that one can only occur where the other cannot occur
Free variation
the concept where speakers can choose which allophones they use
Final devoicing
a voiced phoneme has a voiceless allophone in word-final position
Velarised
pronounce (a speech sound) with the back of the tongue near the soft palate.
Aspiration
a strong burst of breath that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents
Flapping
a way of pronouncing a consonant that involves the tongue lightly touching, the roof of the mouth
Onset
the part of the syllable that precedes the vowel of the syllable
Coda
comprises the consonant sounds of a syllable that follow the nucleus
