Phonology 2

Before we start:
MacGurk effect video(s)
Phonemes and Allophones

= different
Phonemes and allophones
top tɑp thɑp
stop stɑp stɑp-
pot pɑt pɑt-
little lɪtl ̩ lɪɾl ̩
kitten kɪtn̩ khɪʔn̩
hunter hʌntɹ̩hʌnɹ̩
Phonemes and allophones
top /tɑp/ [thɑp]
stop /stɑp/ [stɑp-]
pot /pɑt/ [pɑt-]
little /lɪtl ̩/ [lɪɾl ̩]
kitten /kɪtn̩ / [khɪʔn̩]
hunter /hʌntɹ̩/ [hʌnɹ̩]
 Hindi
Hindi Gloss
[phəl] ‘fruit’
[pəl] ‘moment’
 English vs. Korean r and l
Korean
English
citation nom. gloss
pul puɾI ‘fire’
lif ɹif
mal maɾi ‘language’
əlɑɪv əɹɑɪv tal taɾi ‘moon’
fil fiɹ khal khaɾi ‘knife’
pal paɾi ‘foot’
contrastive
complEmentary distribution
 When 2 sounds are in…
• Contrastive distribution:
– minimal pairs
– unpredictable
• Complementary distribution:
– no minimal pairs
– predictable, systematic
 How about these?
leap [lip] or [lip̚]
soap [soʊp] or [soʊp̚]
troop [trup] or [trup̚]
- no minimal pairs
- but no complementary distribution either!
 Recapping
• Sounds X and Z can be:
– two separate phonemes
– allophones of the same phoneme
– in free variation
Phonological Rules
 Phonological rules map
into
Phonemes (Allo)phones

/θ/ /ʃ/
s[p]ot
/ʊ/ /ŋ/ /ð/
/æ/ / Ə/
[ph]ot
/ʌ/ /ɹ/
/p/

sto[p̚]
 What are the changes?
I can ask /ɑɪ kæn æsk/ [ɑɪ kæn æsk]
I can see /ɑɪ kæn si/ [ɑɪ kæn si]
I can bake /ɑɪ kæn beɪk/ [ɑɪ kæm beɪk]
I can play /ɑɪ kæn pleɪ/ [ɑɪ kæm pleɪ]
I can go /ɑɪ kæn goʊ/ [ɑɪ kæŋ goʊ]
I can come /ɑɪ kæn kʌm/ [ɑɪ kæŋ kʌm]
phonemic phonetic
form form
 What are the changes?
/n/ is pronounced as

[m] [ŋ] [n]

before a before a everywhere
velar else
labial
consonant
consonant
 Phonological rule format
[n] [m] / __ labial consonant
(before)

sound conditioning
affected
environment

resulting
sound
Phonological rule format
[n] [m] / __ labial consonant

[n] [ŋ] / __ velar consonant

[n] [n] / everywhere else

 Not just /n/!
hat trick [hæt tɹɪk]
hit batsman [hɪp bætsmn̩]
night class [nɑɪk klæs]
bad dream [bæd dɹim]
head band [hɛb bænd]
bad guy [bæg gaɪ]
What do they have in common?

/t/ voiceless alveolar oral stop

/d/ voiced alveolar oral stop
/n/ voiced alveolar nasal stop

They form a natural class: alveolar stops.

/t/, /d/, and /n/ share a property to the exclusion of

all other sounds in English.
Let’s make our rules better:
Instead of nine rules:
[n] [m] / __ labial consonant

[n] [ŋ] / __ velar consonant

[n] [n] / everywhere else
 Now moving to....

Kinds of phonological rules

 Adjustments
• Some processes change the nature of
individual segments to make speech
more efficient
 Adjustments
• Some processes change the nature of
individual segments to make speech
more efficient
• How to make speech more efficient:
– making the change from one sound to the
next less dramatic
 Adjustments
• Some processes change the nature of
individual segments to make speech
more efficient
• How to make speech more efficient:
– making the change from one sound to the
next less dramatic
– adding a “bridge” sound between two
segments
Assimilation
Assimilation
• Results from the
influence of one
segment on another
Assimilation
• Results from the
influence of one
segment on another
• A sound becomes more
like another nearby
sound in terms of one or
more of its phonetic
characteristics
Types of assimilation
 Types of assimilation
• Regressive
 Types of assimilation
• Regressive - a sound causes changes
to one that precedes it
 Types of assimilation
• Regressive - a sound causes changes
to one that precedes it
• Progressive
 Types of assimilation
• Regressive - a sound causes changes
to one that precedes it
• Progressive - a sound causes changes
to one that follows it
 Some examples
• Nasalization
 Some examples
• Nasalization - a nasal consonant
causes nasalization of the vowel
– Example: can’t, rent, camp
 Some examples
• Nasalization - a nasal consonant
causes nasalization of the vowel
– Example: can’t, rent, camp
• Voicing assimilation
 Some examples
• Nasalization - a nasal consonant
causes nasalization of the vowel
– Example: can’t, rent, camp
• Voicing assimilation
– Devoicing: liquids and glides in English
after voiceless stops - please, pure
 Some examples
• Nasalization - a nasal consonant
causes nasalization of the vowel
– Example: can’t, rent, camp
• Voicing assimilation
– Devoicing: liquids and glides in English
after voiceless stops - please, pure
– Voicing: Dutch af ‘off’ in afbellen ‘cancel’
Portuguese plurals, as duas ‘the 2’
 Some more examples
• Assimilation for place of articulation
 Some more examples
• Assimilation for place of articulation
– Example: in- prefix in possible, tolerant,
considerate
 Some more examples
• Assimilation for place of articulation
– Example: in- prefix in possible, tolerant,
considerate
• Flapping - stops [t] and [d] become an
alveolar flap between vowels
 Some more examples
• Assimilation for place of articulation
– Example: in- prefix in possible, tolerant,
considerate
• Flapping - stops [t] and [d] become an
alveolar flap between vowels
– Examples: butter, wadear, waiter
 Dissimilation
• Two sounds become less alike to make
a sequence of sounds easier to
articulate and distinguish
 Dissimilation
• Two sounds become less alike to make
a sequence of sounds easier to
articulate and distinguish
• Rarer than assimilation
 Dissimilation
• Two sounds become less alike to make
a sequence of sounds easier to
articulate and distinguish
• Rarer than assimilation
• Examples: fifths
Deletion
 Deletion
• Process that removes a segment from
certain phonetic contexts
 Deletion
• Process that removes a segment from
certain phonetic contexts
• Happens in unstressed syllables
 Deletion
• Process that removes a segment from
certain phonetic contexts
• Happens in unstressed syllables
• Examples: parade, corrode, suppose,
chocolate, Br.E. secretary, library
 Deletion
• Process that removes a segment from
certain phonetic contexts
• Happens in unstressed syllables
• Examples: parade, corrode, suppose,
chocolate, Br.E. secretary, library
• It can also happen in fifths
 Deletion
• Process that removes a segment from
certain phonetic contexts
• Happens in unstressed syllables
• Examples: parade, corrode, suppose,
chocolate, Br.E. secretary, library
• It can also happen in fifths
Epenthesis
 Epenthesis
• Process that inserts a syllabic or
nonsyllabic segment within an existing
string of segments
 Epenthesis
• Process that inserts a syllabic or
nonsyllabic segment within an existing
string of segments
• This extra segment acts as a “bridge”
between two sounds
 Epenthesis
• Process that inserts a syllabic or
nonsyllabic segment within an existing
string of segments
• This extra segment acts as a “bridge”
between two sounds
• Examples: [p] added in something and
warmth, [k] in length, [t] in prince
 Epenthesis
• Process that inserts a syllabic or nonsyllabic
segment within an existing string of segments
• This extra segment acts as a “bridge”
between two sounds
• Examples: [p] added in something and
warmth, [k] in length, [t] in prince
• Also happens to make a foreign word fit the
pattern of the language
 Metathesis
• Process that reorders a sequence of
segments
 Metathesis
• Process that reorders a sequence of
segments
• The resulting order is easier to
pronounce
 Metathesis
• Process that reorders a sequence of
segments
• The resulting order is easier to
pronounce
• Examples: ‘perscription’, ‘nukelar’
 Metathesis
• Process that reorders a sequence of
segments
• The resulting order is easier to
pronounce
• Examples: ‘perscription’, ‘nukelar’
• Common in the speech of children
• Example: ‘pesghetti’
Vowel reduction
 Vowel reduction
• When a vowel is unstressed, it may
become a schwa [ə]