Trad 101: Languages and Culturesof East Asia
Phonology (cont.)
Phonemes and Allophones
What is a phoneme? What is an allophone?
A phoneme is a minimal unit of sound that serves to distinguish meaning between words.
An allophone is a different phonetic realization of a phoneme
Phonemes and Allophones
� Review: Here we have the phoneme /t/ and its allophones [th], [t], [ɾ], and [ʔ]
Let's do a phonology problem
What do we need to know in order to determine if we have phonemes or allophones?
Look at the distribution of the sounds. Do they occur in contrastive or complementary distribution?
Contrastive = they occur in the same environment; a minimal pair can be found
Complementary = they do not occur in the same environments; one (or more) only occurs in predictable environments (Superman & Clark Kent)
Let's do a phonology problem
What do we need to know in order to determine if we have phonemes or allophones?
Look at the distribution of the sounds. Do they occur in contrastive or complementary distribution?
− Contrastive = they occur in the same environment; a minimal pair can be found PHONEMES
− Complementary = they do not occur in the same environments; one (or more) only occurs in predictable environments ALLOPHONES
Let's do another phonology problem
When looking at problems, follow these steps:
Step 1: State their distribution
Step 2: Decide if they are phonemes or allophones. If they are phonemes, you can stop here. If they are allophones, go to step 3.
Step 3: Make generalizations about the environments where the sounds occur.
Step 4: Designate one as the phoneme.
Step 5: Rewrite the data phonemically.
Let's do another phonology problem
Here are some data from Spanish. Here you should consider the sounds [d] and [ð]:
Let's do another phonology problem
Step 1: What is the distribution of [d] and [ð]?
Let's do another phonology problem
Step 1: What is the distribution of [d] and [ð]?
[d] [ð]
#_r a_a
#_o a_o
#_i o_i
n_a i_a
l_o
#_u
l_a
Let's do another phonology problem
Step 2: Decide if [d] and [ð] are separate phonemes or allophones of the same phonemes. Are they in contrastive or complimentary distribution?
[d] [ð]
#_r a_a
#_o a_o
#_i o_i
n_a i_a
l_o
#_u
l_a
Let's do another phonology problem
� Step 3: Make generalizations about the environments where the sounds occur.
[d] [ð]
#_r a_a
#_o a_o
#_i o_i
n_a i_a
l_o
#_u
l_a
Let's do another phonology problem
� Step 3: Make generalizations about the environments where the sounds occur.
[d] [ð]
#_r a_a
#_o a_o
#_i o_i
n_a i_a
l_o in between vowels
#_u
l_a
elsewhere
Let's do another phonology problem
Step 4: Designate one as the phoneme.
[d] [ð]
#_r a_a
#_o a_o
#_i o_i
n_a i_a
l_o in between vowels
#_u
l_a
elsewhere
Let's do another phonology problem
Step 4: Designate one as the phoneme.
/d/
[ð] [d]
in between vowels elsewhere
Let's do another phonology problem
� Step 5: Rewrite the data phonemically.
Let's do another phonology problem
� Step 5: Rewrite the data phonemically.
1) /drama/ 4) /kada/
Phonological Rules
Phonological rules
Phonological Rules
Phonological rules
Sound changes that occur in languages
Phonological Rules
Assimilation: a sound takes on the features of a neighboring sound (or neighboring sounds)
The high vowels in Mokilese become devoiced between voiceless consonants. The voiceless feature of the consonants spreads to the vowel and the vowel assimilates: it changes from voiced to devoiced.
English examples: http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/assimilation.html
Phonological Rules
Dissimilation: a sound loses its features because of neighboring sound (or neighboring sounds)
English examples: http://barelybad.com/words1.htm
In Greek, a stop becomes a fricative when followed by another stop:
/epta/ 'seven' > [efta]
/ktizma/ 'building' > [xtisma]
Phonological Rules
Palatalization: the place of articulation changes and a consonant becomes palatalized
In Japanese, /t/ becomes [ʧ] when followed by the high front vowel /i/
/ti/ 'blood' > [ʧi]
In Shuri (Standard Okinawan) /t/ and /k/ become palatalized in the same environment
/ki/ 'spirit' > [ʧi]
Phonological Rules
Insertion: a sound is inserted
English inserts consonants between nasals and voiceless fricatives
/hæmstr/ > [hæmpstr]
Phonological Rules
Deletion: a sound is deleted
/h/ is deleted in English in unstressed syllables
rapid speech
Phonological Rules
Metathesis: sounds are switched
Think of kids who say “chicken” instead of “kitchen”; aminal; psketti