Introduction To Linguistic

SOUND PATTERNS
 Sound pattern explains how linguists Symbol for phonemes are normally put
represent the flow of speech , and outlines into slashes
the main symbols use for the sounds of e.g. / p/
English. It also discusses ways of
describing stress and rhythm.

The basic sound or phoneme Phoneme function constrastively

Definition e g. /p/ /b/
Phoneme is the smallest segment of
sound which can distinguish word. pit bit
According Gimsons’s analysis “ The
number of phoneme varies from Pairs of words such as pit and bit differ
language to language . The average is by only one phoneme are known as
around thirty- five and English has forty- minimal pairs.
four.”
The phonemes of English Diphthongs

The phonemes of English consist A diphthong is a sound made by

of two types consonant and vowel. combining two vowels, specifically
when it starts as one vowel sound
1. Cosonants and goes to another.
Examples :
/p/ as in pill
/b/ as in bill Example :
/t/ as in tin /æ/ as in part
Etc… /aʊ/ as in bout

2. Vowels
Examples:
/e/ as in pet
/i/ as in pit
/ᴧ/ as in but
Etc....
Allophones Sound combinations

Allophones is several variant of one In English, for example, a

phoneme. The amount of variation word which begin with three
deffer from phoneme to phoneme. consonant-type phoneme always
Sometime the variation is random. obey three strict rules :

1. The first phoneme must be /s/

Example :
Take English phonemes /p/ saying spot spill
2. the second phoneme must be /p/ or
and pot, pill. /t/ or /k/
Spot and spill pot and pill 3. the third phoneme must be /l/ or
P  Ph p /r/ or /w/ or /j/
Example : spring , stew
Example 2 :
say clear and dark
Clear [ l] dark [†]
Shared properties of phoneme
Take English phoneme , /p/, /t/, /b/,
/d/, /m/, /n/,
First these all share the property of
being consonant
Second, /b/, /d/, /m/, /n/, are all voiced
Third
Non-segmental phonemes
English phonemes are chunks or
segmen of sound such as /b/ or /t/ or
/e/. These are known as segmental
phonemes. However, a number of
languages have not only segmental
phonemes but non-segmental
phonemes also.
 For example in North Mandarin
Chinese, there are numerous words
which are distinguished by differences
in the rise and fall of tone, as in the
following minimal pairs :
Tones languages have one
adventegeous by product: the tones
and rhythms of speech can be
imitated by instruments other than
the human voice.

Ma (level tone) mother Sometimes, language of sound or

tones can be properties of
Ma (rising tone) hemp communication.
Ma (dipping tone) horse
Example:
Ma (falling tone) scold The bells ring in the school
Metrical phonology

In particular, each word and group

of words has its own rhythm, an
interplay of stressed and unstressed
syllables. Example 2 :
This show the overall structure of the
Example : rhythm better than a grid of stars.
Happy happiness
* * * * * W S
* * *
*
unhappiness s w s w
* * * *
* * *
* * cen tr al he a t ing
*
The most stressed syllables have the
most stars, and vice versa.
 THANKS
FOR YOUR
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