English Phonology

TheSoundSystemofAmericanEnglish

KeyTerms
Phonemeaunitofsoundsignificantina
specificlanguage(E.g.,/s/isaphonemein
EnglishwhiletheGermanchsound/x/isnot)
GraphemeThesymbols(letters)usedina
writingsystemsuchasouralphabet
DigraphAsinglesoundrepresentedbytwo
letters(e.g.,th,sh,ea)
PhoneticAlphabetacollectionofsymbolsused
forwritingwordsphonetically

MoreTerms
Allophoneavariantofaphoneme;oftennot
noticedbynativespeakers(e.g,spin,pin)
MinimalPairTwowordsthatarepronouncedthe
sameexceptforonesound(e.g.,Sue,zoo)
VoicedSoundAsoundproducedwiththevocal
folds(cords)vibrating(e.g.voiced/z/asopposed
tovoiceless/s/)
Diphthongadoublevowelsoundtwovowels
appearingtogetherasthenucleusofasyllable

TheVocal
Tract

TheVocalFolds(orCords)

Quic kTime and a

YUV420 c odec dec ompressor
are needed to see this pic ture.

TheConsonantsofEnglish

TheVowelsofEnglish

PhoneticTranscription
Horseshoes

[horsuz]

Matches

[mc\z]

Bookend

[bknd]

Is

[z]

Pain medicine [pen md\sn]

Thorns

[ornz]

Breathe

[bri]

AllomorphsBasedonPhonology
Thepluralmorpheme
[s]afteravoicelessconsonant
[z]afteravoicedconsonant
[\z]afterasibilant(s,z,sh[s],[z],ch[c],orj
[j])

Thepasttensemorpheme
[d]afteravoicedsound,
[t]afteravoicelesssound
[\d]aftera[t]or[d]

AllomorphsBasedonPhonology
Thenegativeprefix/in/n
[m]beforealabial(e.g.,impossible,immovable,
imbalance)
[]beforeavelar(e.g.,incorrect,ingratitude)
[r]before/r/(e.g.,irreversible)
[l]before/l/(e.g.,illogical)

Otherexamplesofassimilation
Conduct,compel,colleague,corrode
Synergy,symmetry,syllogism
Admit,abbreviate,account,annul,appeal,arrive,assign,
attend,alleviate
Submit,succeed,sufficient,suggest,support,surreptitious

VowelDeletion

Deletethelastvowelofamorphemeifthe
followingmorphemebeginswithavowel
Antiagainst,opposite
Apoaway,from,off
Cataback,down,away
Diathrough,between
Metabeyond,after

Anti+pathy
Apo+logy
Cata+log
Dia+meter
Meta+morphic

Ant+agonize
Ap+androus
Cat+egory
Di+uretic
Met+onymy

Workswithsomerootsandsuffixes:
autoself
misohate
ateadjectivesuffix

auto+graph
miso+gyny
cre+ate

aut+ism
mis+anthrope
cre+at+ion

Notifprefixisonlyonesyllable:re+act;bi+ennial

E/ODeletion
Deletetheeoroofamorphemeendinginerororofa
morphemeifthefollowingmorphemebeginswithavowel

Matermother
Member
Meter
Act
Enter

Mater+nal
Dis+member
Dia+meter
Act+or

Matr+ilineal
Membr+ane
Metr+ic
Actr+ess
Entr+ance

SDeletion
Deleteansaftertheprefixex

Spir
Ser
Secu
Sist

In+spire
In+sert
Con+secu+tive
Re+sist

Ex+pire
Ex+ert
Ex+ecutive
Ex+ist

NDeletion
Deletethenoftheprefixanbeforeaconsonant:
Examples:a+theist,a+pathy,a+symmetry,a+trophy
Butnot:an+emic,an+archy,an+orexic,an+
hydrous

VowelAlternations
/a/changesto/e/inotherthanfirstsyllable
E.,g,annual/biennial;apt/inept;
damnation/condemn
/e/changesto/i/inotherthanfirstsyllable
E.g.,regular;incorrigible;spec
ulate/conspicuous