PPhhoonnoollooggyy 11:: pphhoonneemmeess

LLiinngg440000 PPhhoonnoollooggyy 11:: pphhoonneemmeess

•• PhonologyPhonology andand phoneticsphonetics •• EstablishingEstablishing separateseparate phonemesphonemes – Minimal pairs – Distinctive Features •• FreeFree Variation/RedundancyVariation/Redundancy •• EstablishingEstablishing allophonesallophones ofof thethe samesame pphhoonneemmee – Complementary distribution WordWord ofof thethe dayday PPhhoonnoollooggyy

• Languages use different sets of sounds often pronounced in different ways. • In addition, languages organize sounds (what we call phones — the actual physical sounds that are distinguishable) in different ways. Phonology is the study of the organization of speech sounds in a particular language. PPhhoonnoollooggyy

•• InIn aa givengiven languagelanguage somesome phoneticphonetic differencesdifferences areare ddiissttiinnccttiivvee (=(= cacann produceproduce aa meaningmeaning difference)difference) andand othersothers areare notnot PPhhoonneemmeess

•• PPhhoonnee:: aa soundsound realizedrealized inin aa givengiven language,language, aa segmentsegment •• PPhhoonneemmee:: anan abstractabstract representationrepresentation ofof thethe smallestsmallest distinctivedistinctive soundsound unitunit inin aa languagelanguage (often(often realizedrealized byby differentdifferent phonesphones referredreferred toto asas aalllloopphhoonneess ofof ththiiss pphhoonneemmee)) PPhhoonneemmeess

•• PhonemesPhonemes areare representedrepresented inin slashes,slashes, notnot squaresquare bracketsbrackets [[!"#$%!"#$%&& //!!##$$''&& •• PhonemicPhonemic representationsrepresentations dodo notnot havehave completecomplete phoneticphonetic detaildetail Phonemes:Phonemes: minimalminimal pairpair

•• MinimalMinimal pairpair:: aa pairpair ofof wordswords distinguisheddistinguished byby onlyonly oneone phonemephoneme occurringoccurring inin thethe samesame placeplace inin thethe stringstring (( '')''*'&+)''*'&+)),,--%&%&!!"#"#&&++**,-,-%&%&$$""##&&++..--//00##))%%%%&#'(!)&#'(!) ++..-/0-/0##**%&%&&&##''(($$)) (( '',,''''11##''&&++..!!,,--%&%&&&**""##&&++..!!11##--%&%&&&**""##))%%++,,--%%%%""## ++11##--%&%&""#)#) Phonemes:Phonemes: minimalminimal pairpair

•• TheThe firstfirst stepstep inin establishingestablishing aa phonemicphonemic inventoryinventory isis toto describedescribe thethe phoneticphonetic realizationsrealizations ofof allall possiblepossible soundssounds ofof aa givengiven languagelanguage Phonemes:Phonemes: minimalminimal pairpair

• Next, one needs to find which of the sounds are capable of distinguishing meaning • This can be done by finding a minimal pair • A minimal pair refers to a pair of words that differ only with respect to a sound in the same place (e.g. at the beginning) that produce a difference in meaning • The two sounds in question are said to be distinctive since they produce the meaning difference. Phonemes:Phonemes: minimalminimal pairpair

(( +),-%&!"#&+*,-%&$"#% 2$2-203 (( +.-/0#)%%&#'(!)&+.-/0#*%&&#'($) )2$03)2$03 (( ',''1' (( +.!,-%&&*"#&*"#&+.!1#-%%&*"#) 415203 (( +,-%%"#&+1#-%&"#) 2$2-203 Phonemes:Phonemes: minimalminimal pairpair

•• WeWe havehave minimalminimal pairspairs forfor [f][f] andand [v],[v], andand forfor ++,,%%&&00$$55&&++11##%%66 •• WeWe cancan concludeconclude thatthat [f][f] andand [v][v] belongbelong toto separateseparate phonemes,phonemes, andand thatthat ++,%&0$5,%&0$5 ++11##%%&&77113388$$99&&--88&&..11!!00//00--11&&!!::88$$114411..66 DistinctiveDistinctive featuresfeatures

• Distinctive features are phonetic properties of phonemes that account for their ability to contrast meanings of words • For example, the fact that [f] and [v] belong to separate phonemes shows that … is a distinctive feature (Q: Fill in the space …) • [answer] voicing DistinctiveDistinctive featuresfeatures

• These phonemic features distinguish the set of significant sounds (phonemes) of a language. • Phonemes are described with the smallest number of distinctive features necessary to distinguish them from one another • /l/ = lateral liquid; /u/ = high, back, tense vowel RReedduunnddaannccyy aanndd vvaarriiaattiioonn

•• SoundsSounds thatthat areare substitutablesubstitutable oneone forfor anotheranother inin aa givengiven environmentenvironment areare saidsaid ttoo bbee iinn freefree variationvariation •• ForFor example,example, routeroute isis pronouncedpronounced [rut][rut] oror [[//00;;--]] •• tomatotomato ++--<<441#-8;1#-8;%% oror [[--<<4400--88;;]] AA SongSong aboutabout FreeFree VariationsVariations (sort(sort of)of) LetLet’’ss CallCall thethe WholeWhole ThingThing OffOff • You say [2=/>% and I say [0#=/%> , • You say [$2=/>% and I say [$0#=/>% ( +2=/>%?&+0#=/>%6&+$2=/>%?&+$0#=/>% • Let's call the whole thing off. – lyrics by Ira Gershwin RReedduunnddaanntt ffeeaattuurreess

•• RedundantRedundant featuresfeatures areare phoneticphonetic detailsdetails thatthat areare predictablepredictable andand notnot distinctivedistinctive •• ForFor example,example, inin EnglishEnglish backback non-lownon-low vowelsvowels /u/,/u/, //oo;;// areare rounded,rounded, soso inin givinggiving aa phonemicphonemic description,description, thethe featurefeature [rounded][rounded] maymay bebe omittedomitted RReedduunnddaanntt ffeeaattuurreess

• Sometimes a feature is added to a phoneme in a particular environment • For example, in the specific environment of word initial position, voiceless stops /p/. /t/, /k/ are aspirated in English • How do we know that aspiration is redundant and not distinctive in English? WWhhoo’’ss Superman?Superman?

•• ClarkClark KentKent isis alwaysalways seenseen inin thethe companycompany ofof LoisLois LaneLane doingdoing mundanemundane newspapernewspaper reportingreporting •• SupermanSuperman isis aa lonerloner whowho likeslikes toto flyfly fasterfaster thanthan aa jetjet planeplane andand savesave peoplepeople fromfrom imminentimminent disasterdisaster WWhhoo’’ss Superman?Superman?

•• ClarkClark KentKent behavesbehaves veryvery distinctivelydistinctively asas aa reporter;reporter; hehe isis myopic,myopic, hopelesslyhopelessly infatuatedinfatuated withwith LoisLois LaneLane andand ratherrather aa milquetoastmilquetoast •• SupermanSuperman isis onlyonly seenseen inin highhigh riskrisk contextscontexts wherewhere hehe displaysdisplays greatgreat eyesight,eyesight, nearnear indifferenceindifference toto Lois,Lois, andand superhumansuperhuman strengthstrength CCoommpplleemmeennttaarryy ddiissttrriibbuuttiioonn

• Superman never occurs in situations where Clark Kent is, and vice versa. • Superman’s behavior is distinct from that of Clark Kent, but it is predictable from the environment, the high risk situation requiring daring and superhuman strength • Superman is in complementary distribution with Clark Kent CCoommpplleemmeennttaarryy ddiissttrriibbuuttiioonn

• An inventory of all occurrences of [p] and [ph] in English reveals that [[pph]] onlyonly appearsappears inin wordword initialinitial positionposition •• pinpin [p[ph##$$]]&&..!!22$$&&**[[sspph##$$]] && • [p] can be word final or medial, but not initial • *+!#-%& +.!#-% +-h#!% • [ph] and [p] are in complementary distribution • Note: * indicates impossible forms. CCoommpplleemmeennttaarryy ddiissttrriibbuuttiioonn

•• PhonesPhones thatthat nevernever occuroccur inin thethe samesame phoneticphonetic environmentenvironment (e.g.(e.g. [p][p] andand [p[ph]])) (and(and jointlyjointly exhaustexhaust allall possiblepossible environments)environments) areare saidsaid toto bebe inin complementarycomplementary distributiondistribution CCoommpplleemmeennttaarryy ddiissttrriibbuuttiioonn

• When two phonetically similar phones are in complementary distribution and their distribution is explainable by “rules”, they are allophones of the same phoneme • Usually the phoneme is “named” for the phone that does not require specification of a phonetic environment (i.e. the “elsewhere one”). AAssppiirraattiioonn:: EEnngglliisshh SSttooppss

•• pinpin ++!"#$%!"#$% &&..ppiinn&&++.!.!##$$%% &&**++..!!""##$$%% •• ticktick ++-"#@%-"#@% &&stickstick ++.-#@%.-#@% &&**++..--""##@@%% •• kkiinn++@"#$%@"#$% &.@&.@iinn&&++.@.@##$$%% &&**++..@@""##$$%% •• InIn EEnglisnglish,h, asaspiratedpirated sstopstops andand unasunaspiratedpirated sstopstops areare allophonesallophones ofof eacheach otherother ssinceince theythey areare inin complementarycomplementary distribution.distribution. ThaiThai stopsstops

•• ThaiThai hashas voicelessvoiceless unaspiratedunaspirated stops,stops, voicelessvoiceless aspiratedaspirated stopsstops andand voicedvoiced stops,stops, andand aspirationaspiration isis distinctivedistinctive (makes(makes aa differencedifference inin meaning).meaning). – [tam] ‘to pound’ – [tham] ‘to do’ – [dam] ‘black’ WWhathat cancan wewe concludeconclude aboutabout ThaiThai stops?stops? •• InIn Thai,Thai, aspiratedaspirated stopsstops andand unaspiratedunaspirated stopsstops areare differentdifferent phonemesphonemes sincesince theythey areare foundfound inin minimalminimal pairspairs (that(that produceproduce aa differencedifference inin meaning).meaning).