CHAPTER 4: THE SOUND PATTERNS OF LANGUAGE

 Phonology

Phonology is essentially the description of the systems and patterns of speech sounds

in a language

Phonemes

Phonemes are the basic sound units in a language that distinguish meaning

Ex: fine, vine 

/f/ voiceless fricative

 /v/ voiced fricative 

Natural Classes

(+) if present a minus

(−) if absent

For instance : /p/ is described as [−voice, +bilabial, +stop]

                      /k/ is [−voice, +velar, +stop]

Phones and Allophones

- Phoneme is the abstract unit or sound type (“in the mind”)

- When these phones are variations of the same phoneme, they are called allophones

Complementary Distribution

When allophones and phoneme used in different places in words, they are said to be in complementary distribution

Minimal Pairs and Sets

When two words such as fan and van are identical in form except for a contrast in one phoneme,occurring in the same position, the two words are described as a minimal pair

Phonotactics

Phonotactics are the rules that some combinations of sounds are never allowed together such as [fsɪɡ] or [rnɪɡ] do not exist or are unlikely ever to exist.

Syllables

A syllable must contain a vowel or vowel-like sound, including diphthongs consists of a vowel or vowel-like sound (nucleus) surrounded by consonants (onset and coda).

Consonant Clusters

Both the onset and the coda can consist of more than a single consonant, also known as aconsonant cluster 

Coarticulation Effects

 Is the process of making one sound almost at the same time as the next sound.

Assimilation

When one sound in a sequence adopts features of another sound, a natural process for smoother articulation

Nasalization

A common form of vowel assimilation in English, where vowels become nasalized before nasal consonants

Elision

Certain sounds or segments can be omitted or modified for easier pronunciation