The Sound Patterns of Language: Phonology

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The Sound Patterns of Language Phonology

• Chapter 5
• Ms. Abrar A. Mujaddidi

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Introduction

• In the previous chapter, we have investigated the
  physical production of speech sounds.
• What made that investigation possible?
• YET
• Every individual has a vocal tract that is
  physically different than others.
• So, every individual will pronounce sounds
  differently.

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cont.,

• Moreover, every individual will pronounce the
  same word differently on different occasions.
• What makes us recognize all the different
  versions of the word me as mi, not as any
  other word?

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Phonology

• Phonology is the description of the systems and
  patterns of speech sounds in a language.
• It is based on a theory of what every speaker of
  a language unconsciously knows about sound
  patterns of that language.
• Provide examples..

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cont,

• Phonology is concerned with the abstract or
  mental aspects of sounds in language.
• Compare to phonetics?
• Phonetics is the physical properties of speech
  sounds, e.g. how the sound is physically
  produced.
• Phonology serves as the underlying design for all
  the variations in different physical
  articulations of a sound type in different
  contexts.

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cont.,

• We think of the t sound in the following words
  to be the same
• - tar
• - star
• - writer
• - eighth
• What we mean is that in the phonology of English
  they are all represented inn the same way, but
  physically, they are all different!

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Phonemes

• Phonemes
• meaning-distinguishing sounds in a language.
• Phonemes are written between slashes
• e.g. /t/
• Phonemes function contrastively
• e.g. /f/ and /v/
• fat vat
• fine vine

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cont.,

• To determine the phonemes that exist in a
  language
• we use the contrastive property
• if we substitute one sound for another in a word
  and there is a change in meaning, then the two
  sounds represent different phonemes.
• e.g. night vs. kite

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cont.,

• The basic phonemes of English are listed in the
  consonant and vowel charts of English.
• The features of each sound are used to create
  these charts.
• Those features are used to distinguish one
  phoneme from another.
• We use the () and (-) to mark the presence or
  absence of the phonemic features.
• e.g. /p/ -voice, bilabial, stop
• /k/ -voice, velar, stop

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cont.,

• Natural class
• /p/ -voice, bilabial, stop
• /k/ -voice, velar, stop
• because these two sounds share some
  features, they are described sometimes as members
  of a natural class of sounds.
• Sounds which share common features behave
  phonologically in a similar way.
• A sound which does not share these features
  behave differently.

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cont.,

• Cont. natural class
• e.g. /v/ voice, labiodental, fricative
• So, /v/ cannot be put in the same natural
  class of sounds as /p/ and /k/.
• The idea of natural class can help in explaining
  why we have words in English starting with /pl-/
  and /kl-/ but not with /vl-/.

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Phones and allophones

• We established earlier that a phoneme is the
  abstract unit (in the mind).
• There are many versions of that unit regularly
  produced in actual speech (in the mouth).
• we can describe these different versions as
  phones.

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cont.,

• Phones are phonetic units and appear in square
  brackets.
• We can have several versions of one phoneme.
  These are allophones of one phoneme.
• e.g. /t/ 1 phone t?
  tar
• phoneme
• 1 phone writer
• 1phone
  eighth

Allophones
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cont.,

• The basic distinction between phonemes and
  allophones
• - In phonemes if we substitute one phoneme for
  another will result in a word with a different
  meaning (and of course pronunciation).
• e.g. tar vs. bar
• - When substituting allophones, only unusual
  pronunciations of the same word occur.
• e.g. ??? vs. ???

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cont.,

• Another example to clarify the idea of phonemes
  vs. allophones
• vowel nasalization
• -Phonemic in French
• e.g. so (pail)
• sõ (sound)
• - Non-phonemic in English since nasalizing a
  vowel does not change a meaning of a word.
• - Try it out!

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Minimal pairs and sets

• How do we test phonemes?
• We test phonemes by pairs and sets of words.
• Minimal pair
• When two words are identical in form except for
  a contrast in one phoneme occurring in the same
  position, then the two words are described a
  minimal pair.
• e.g. bat vs. fat
• bat vs. bet

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cont.,

• Minimal sets
• When a group of words can be differentiated by
  changing one phoneme in the same position in the
  word, then we have a minimal set.
• e.g. feat
• fit
• fat
• fate
• foot

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Phonotactics

• In each language, there are a number of patterns
  in the types of sounds combinations permitted.
• e.g. In English, we can create new words vig or
  las, but not fsig or rnig!
• Phonotactics are the permitted arrangements of
  sounds in a a language are part of the every
  speakers phonological knowledge.

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cont.,

• vocabulary gaps
• accidental
  systematic
• gaps
  gaps
• e.g. vig or fsig or
  rnig
• lig

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Syllables and Clusters

• A syllable must contain a vowel or a vowel-like
  sound.
• The most common type of syllable in a language
  has a consonant as well.
• When describing syllables
• C consonant
• V vowel

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cont.,

• syllable
• onset rhyme
• (optional) Nucleus
  coda
• (not optional)
  (optional)
• one or more
• consonants vowel one
  or more
• 
  consonants

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cont.,

• syllables
• open syllables closed syllables
• Syllables which end syllables
  which
• in a vowel and end in
  a coda
• no coda
  consonants

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cont.,

• Consonant clusters
• both the onset and the coda can consist of
  more that one consonant
• e.g. green (CCVC)
• street (CCCVC)
• post (CVCC)

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cont.,

• In English, consonant clusters of more than two
  consonants follow a certain rule

1st consonant 2nd consonant 3rd consonant
s p t k w r l
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Co-articulation effects

• We have been describing the production of speech
  in slow motion.
• On the contrary, our speech is fast and
  spontaneous.
• Our articulators move very quickly from one sound
  to another without stopping.

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cont.,

• Co-articulation
• co-articulation is the process of making one
  sound almost at the same time of making the next
  sound.
• Examples of Co-articulation effects
• 1. Assimilation
• 2. Elision

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Assimilation

• Assimilation occurs when two sounds occur in
  sequence and some aspect of one segment is taken
  or copied by the other.
• Examples of Assimilation
• Vowel nasalization as in pin or pan.
• Velarization as in I can go.
• Vowel reduction you and me.

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Elision

• Elision is the process of not pronouncing a sound
  segment that might be present in the deliberately
  careful pronunciation.
• Examples of elision
• You and me
• Friendship
• aspects

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• We are done with phonology!!

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