Vocabulary Ch. 3

Question 1

Phonology

Answer 1

the study of the distribution of sounds in a language and the interactions between those different sounds.

Question 2

Phonotactic constraints

Answer 2

Restrictions on possible combinations of sounds.

Question 3

Sound substitution

Answer 3

Sounds that exist in a language a speaker knows are used to replace sounds that do not exist in that language when pronouncing the words of a foreign language.

Question 4

Allophone

Answer 4

One of a set of noncontrastive realizations of the same phoneme.

Question 5

Noncontrastive

Answer 5

A term used to describe two sounds that are not used to differentiate words in a language.

Question 6

Distribution

Answer 6

The set of phonetic environments in which it occurs.

Question 7

Minimal pair

Answer 7

A pair of words whose pronunciations differ by exactly one sound and that have different meanings.

Question 8

Alternation

Answer 8

A difference between two or more phonetic form that you might otherwise expect to be related.

Question 9

Complementary distribution

Answer 9

Considered to be allophones of the same phoneme.

Question 10

Free variation

Answer 10

Two sounds that occur in overlapping environments but cause no distinction in the meaning of their respective words.

Question 11

Overlapping distribution

Answer 11

Can occur in the same environment.

Question 12

Phonological rules

Answer 12

The description of a relationship between a phoneme and its allophones and the conditioning environment in which the allophone appears.

Question 13

Underlying form.

Answer 13

The phonemic form of a word or morpheme before phonological rules are applied.

Question 14

Conditioning environment

Answer 14

Neighboring sounds of a given sound that cause it to undergo a change.

Question 15

Assimilation

Answer 15

A process by which a sound becomes more like a nearby sound in terms of some feature.

Question 16

Palatalization

Answer 16

A process wherein a sound takes on a palatal place of articulation, usually in assimilation to high or mid front vowels like (i) or (e).

Question 17

Implicational law

Answer 17

Observation about language universals that takes the form of an implication.

Question 18

Maximally distinct

Answer 18

The consonants have very few qualities in common with the vowels, and the vowels are likewise very different from the consonants.

Question 19

Basic allophone

Answer 19

The allophone of a phoneme that is used when none of the change-inducing conditions are fulfilled. Of a set of allophones, it is generally least limited in where it can occur; also termed the elsewhere allophone.

Question 20

Restricted allophone

Answer 20

An allophone of a phoneme that appears in a more limited set of phonetic environments.

Question 21

Near-minimal pair

Answer 21

The words in a minimal pair are identical apart from the contrastive sounds, the words in a near-minimal pair are only almost identical, apart from the contrastive sounds.

Question 22

Labial

Answer 22

A member of a natural class of sounds produced with the lips; includes both bilabial and labiodental sounds.

Question 23

Obstuants

Answer 23

A natural class of sounds produced with an obstruction of the airflow on the oral cavity while the nasal cavity is closed off.

Question 24

Sonorants

Answer 24

Sound (usually voiced) produced with a relatively open passage of air flow.

Question 25

Dissimilation

Answer 25

Process by which two nearby sounds become less alike with respect to some feature.