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