Phonology By Khalid Shamkhi 1.

1Definition and Scope The human vocal apparatus can produce a very wide range of sounds , but only a relatively small number are used distinctively in any one language(Crystal,2003:350) .Such sounds constitute the sound system of that language .The study of the sound system of any language is the main concern of a branch of linguistics called phonology. Thus, phonology is the description of the systems and patterns of sounds that occur in a language. It involves studying a language to determine its distinctive sounds, that is ,those sounds that convey a difference in meaning. For instance, what distinguishes the words white and right is the presence of a different sound at the beginning of each , /w/ and /r/ respectively. When two sounds can be used to differentiate words they are said to belong to two different phonemes.(Ladefoged,2006:33).Sound contrasts at the level of single phonemes are called segmental. One of the most commonly used technique to show phonemic contrasts is the minimal pairs and sets. It presents a pair or a set of words that are different in only one sound and hence different in meaning, e.g. mat rat (minimal pair) feel fill fall (minimal set) In phonology an attempt is also directed towards analyzing the restrictions and regularities found in a particular language ,and this is usually done by studying the syllables of the language. For example no English word begins with the consonant sequence zbf and no words end with the sequence h(Roach,2000,:45). Restrictions on sound sequences are called phonotactics.

Moreover ,many sound contrasts are not the result of differences between phonemes. For example ,stress is important in distinguishing export as a noun or a verb. Intonation is also important :said with the pitch of voice rising ,the word right is likely to be heard as a question or as an invitation to a speaker to continue. While falling pitch is more likely to be heard as confirmation or agreement. Such sound contrasts, involving several segments, are called suprasegmental (Ibid). 1.2 Phonology Vs. Phonetics Phonology contrasts with phonetics in certain ways: First, while phonetics analyzes the production of all human speech sounds regardless of language, phonology analyzes the sound patterns of a particular language (http://www.sil.org/linguistics/) Second ,Phonetics studies the physical properties of sounds which include their articulatory , acoustic and auditory aspects. Phonology ,in contrast, is concerned with the functional ,phonemic behavior of the sounds for distinctive purposes ; the combinatory possibilities (syllabic structure and phonotactics) of the phonemes ;the nature and use of such prosodic features as pitch , stress and length. Thus ,phonetics represents the concrete level while phonology the abstract level (Gimson,1989:6) Third, phonetics has the status of an independent science whereas phonology is a branch of linguistics along with other branches such as morphology , syntax ,semantics etc. 1.3 Models of Phonology Different models of phonology contribute to our knowledge of phonological representations and processes: 1.In classical phonemics ,phonemes and their possible combinations are central. 2.In standard generative phonology ,distinctive features are central. A stream of speech is portrayed as linear sequence of discrete sound

segments. Each segments composed of simultaneously occurring features. 3.In non-linear models of phonology , a stream of speech is represented as multidimensional ,not simply as a linear sequence of sound segments. These non-linear models grew out of generative phonology: a. autosegmental phonology b. metrical phonology. c. lexical phonology. ( http://en.wikipedia.org. )

References Crystal ,David(2003) A Dictionary of Linguistics&Phonetics.5th ed. Oxford:Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Gimson. A.C.(1989)An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English. London:Arnold. Ladefoged,Peter(2000)A Course in Phonetics.5th ed. Boston: Thomason Wardsworth. Roach,Peter(2000)English Phonetics and Phonology.A Practical Course. Cambridge :Cambridge university Press Internet Sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonology 29/11/2011 http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsPho nology.htm29/12/2011