The Sound Patterns Of Language

Phonology

The study of the systems and patterns of speech sounds in a language.

Phonemes

The smallest phonetic unit of a language that can convey a distinction in meaning

=>the smalllest distinctive sound unit

Eg: Pin and Pan

Allophones

One of a closely related set of speech sounds or phones

Phones

Phonetic units and appear in square brackets

e.g: [p] [r]

NATURAL CLASSES

We use the (+) and (-) to mark the presence or absence of the phonemic features.

e.g: /p/ [-voice, †bilaviai, siop]

/o/ [+voice, †bilabial, †stop]

Syllables

Basic elements of the syllable:

Onset = INITIAL (can be empty or have one or more consonant)
Rhyme/rime consists of the
Nucleus (a vowel or vowel-like sound:(long/short/diphthong)

Coda = FINAL (can be empty or have one or more conennant)

Open syllables

a vowel sound at the end of Syllable/

Open syllables=an onset+ a nucleus( no coda)

Close syllables

A closed syllable has a short vowel ending in a consonant. Examples include hat, dish, bas/ket.

Minimal sets

-> a group of words which can be differentiated by changing one phoneme in the same position in the word.

fan - van. fan - funk
cvc cvc cvc cvcc

Phonotactics constraints on the permissible combination of sounds in a language (permitted arrangemerus sounds).

E.g.: /s/, /n/, /t/ => Isn/, Ist/

(snake, snack, steam nsake, nsick, teaming, tsung)

Syllables

Consonant clusters

=> Two or more consonants in sequence

Eg: /kw/, /str/, /kl/, /kr/, /dr/, /spl/, /ngst/ .

Both the onset and the coda can consist of more than a single consonant, also known as a consonant cluster.

Eg: splash, spring, strong, scream, ...

In English the number of consonants in sequence could be 3 maximum in initial position and up to 4 in the final one and can one and can of course occur in the medial position.

For example: Strength, prompt,

Coarticulation Effects

Assimilation

The process of making one sound virtually at the same time the next sound.
3 co-articulation effects : Assimilation, Nasalization and Elision.

=> A sound change where some phonemes(typically consonants or vowels), change to be more similar to other nearby sounds.

Eg: "handbag" /hændbæg/ => /'hæmbæg/

=> [m] and [b] sounds are both bilabial consonants whereas the sequence [d] - [b] has different places but similar manner of articulation (voiced sto) => the [n] phonemes to sometimes assimilation to [m] before the [b].

Nasalization

=> Pronunciation of a sound with air flowing through the nose, typically before a nasal consonat

=> Nasalization of vowels typically occurs when the vowel immediately precedes, or follows, a nasal consonant /m,n,ŋ /

eg: mad , need, sing

Elision/ Deletion

=> The process of leaving out a sound sefment in the pronuciation of a word (the fact of not pronouncing a particular sound un a word).

Normal speech: Assimilation, Nasalization, and Elision, -> in everyone's normal speech.

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