syllables and phonotactics - people.umass.edu · towards ‘phonotactics’ but why don’t those...

Syllables andPhonotactics

Course Readings

Introduction andIPA Practice

The Basics ofSyllables


Syllabification Rule

SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Syllables and Phonotactics


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Course Readings

The following readings have been posted to the Moodlecourse site:

▶ Contemporary Linguistics: Chapter 3 (pp. 77-84)▶ “Syllables” by Kyle Johnson


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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A Review of Where We Are

The Fundamental Question (for Linguists):What is the system of rules and mental representationsthat underlies out ability to speak and understand ahuman language?

▶ Last Unit: IPANotation that unambiguously represents the phonesof all human languages.

▶ This Unit: PhonologyRules that operate over those representations, andthereby affect how words are pronounced.


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Some Quick IPA Practice

First, let’s practice reading some IPA:

[bôejs j1ôsElf wInt1ô Iz k2mIN]

(Brace yourself: Winter is coming!)


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Some Quick IPA Practice

Here’s another one:

[aj downt wAnt tu lIv An DIs plæn1t EnimOô]

(I don’t want to live on this planet anymore)


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Towards ‘Phonology’

IPA transcription represents some of our knowledge ofhow a word is pronounced:

▶ Phones making up the word▶ Sequence in which those phones are produced

However, there is more to a word’s pronunciation thanjust this...

▶ There are also general rules governing Englishpronunciation.


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Introducing Syllables

Key ExampleWhen we pronounce ‘understanding’, we don’t pronounce(or perceive) it as a simple string of sounds...

▶ Rather, the phones are grouped together into ‘beats’

▶ These ‘beats’ making up the word give it a rhythm

▶ These ‘beats’ and rhythm come out naturally whenwe speak words slowly

▶ [2n . d1ô . stæn . diN] ‘understanding’▶ [pEp . tow . bIz . mAl] ‘Pepto Bismol’▶ [b2 . low . ni] ‘Bologna’


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Introducing Syllables

Vocabulary:These ‘beats’ making up the sound-structure of the wordare called syllables.

Key Fact:For most English words, speakers only accept one way ofbreaking it up into syllables

▶ [2n . d1ô . stæn . diN] *[2 . nd1ôs . tænd . iN]

▶ [pEp . tow . bIz . mAl] *[pEpt . ow . bIzm . Al]

▶ [b2 . low . ni] *[b2l . own . i]

Conclusion:Part of knowing English is knowing how to divide wordsinto syllables

▶ So, this information is represented in our brains somehow.


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Towards Syllabification

Question:How is this information represented in our brains?

Wrong Hypothesis:Maybe we just memorize it on a word-by-word basis?

▶ When we learn a word like ‘bologna’, we learn:▶ The phones that compose it: [b2lowni]▶ The word’s syllabification: [b2 . low . ni]

Vocabulary:The way that a word is broken down into syllables iscalled syllabification.


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Wrong Hypothesis:The syllabification of word is memorized on a case-by-casebasis.

Problem for This Hypothesis:English speakers know how to syllabify words they’ve neverheard spoken before.

Example:

▶ Read the following word to yourself silently: “badartogly”

▶ Say the word to yourself slowly, breaking it into syllables...

▶ I would bet that you syllabified it as follows:

▶ [ bæ . dAô . tA . gli ]

▶ I would bet that you didn’t syllabify it this way:

▶ [ bæd . Aôt . Ag . li ]


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SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Conclusion:Since you’d never heard “badartogly” before, yoursyllabification couldn’t have been memorized...

▶ So the ‘Wrong Hypothesis’ is wrong...

Right Hypothesis:English syllabification is based on a general rule.

▶ This rule tells you how to syllabify any imaginable word ofEnglish.

Vocabulary:Phonology = the study of the general rules that governhow words are pronounced in a language.


Course Readings



Syllables andPhonotacticsThe Structure of Syllables

Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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The Burning Question:What are the rules for syllabifying a word of English?

Before we can state the rule, we need to talk a bit moreabout the internal structure of syllables...


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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The Structure of Syllables

▶ Every syllable is made up of (at most) three parts:

▶ Onset: the consonants that begin the syllable

▶ Nucleus: the sound in the middle of the syllable(usually a vowel)

▶ Coda: the consonants the end the syllable

▶ Syllables can differ in size:

▶ Some syllables do not have onsets (e.g. [it])

▶ Some syllables do not have codas (e.g. [ti])

▶ But, every syllable has a nucleus


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

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The Structure of Syllables

Here are some syllables, broken down into their parts:

Syllable Onset Nucleus Coda[bæn] [b] [æ] [n][bi] [b] [i] NONE[æn] NONE [æ] [n][stænd] [st] [æ] [nd][plæNk] [pl] [æ] [Nk][bOj] [b] [Oj] NONE[spôej] [spô] [ej] NONE[aj] NONE [aj] NONE

Note:Both parts of a diphthong count as being in the ‘nucleus’of the syllable.


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Towards ‘Phonotactics’

Key Fact:Not every sequence of phones is a possible onset orcoda in English.

▶ Consider the following sequences of phones:▶ [mba . ka]▶ [Na . to]▶ [tsA]▶ [nukÙ]▶ [tæg . nIsp]

▶ Which one sounds most like an English word?

▶ You probably said [tæg . nIsp]▶ After all, it’s the only one that English speakers can

easily pronounce.


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Towards ‘Phonotactics’

Key Fact:Not every sequence of phones is a possible onset orcoda in English.

▶ Consider the following sequences of phones:▶ [mba . ka]▶ [Na . to]▶ [tsA]▶ [nukÙ]▶ [tæg . nIsp]

▶ Which one sounds most like an English word?▶ You probably said [tæg . nIsp]

▶ After all, it’s the only one that English speakers caneasily pronounce.


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Towards ‘Phonotactics’But why don’t those other words sound like English?

▶ [mba . ka]

▶ The first syllable starts with [mb]▶ No English word or syllable can start with [mb]▶ The sequence [mb] is not a possible onset

▶ [Na . to]

▶ The first syllable starts with [N]▶ No English word or syllable can start with [N]▶ The sequence [N] is not a possible onset

▶ [tsA]

▶ The first syllable starts with [ts]▶ No English word or syllable can start with [ts]▶ The sequence [ts] is not a possible onset

▶ [nukÙ]

▶ The first syllable ends with [kÙ]▶ No English word or syllable can end with [kÙ]▶ The sequence [kÙ] is not a possible coda


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

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▶ [mba . ka]▶ The first syllable starts with [mb]▶ No English word or syllable can start with [mb]▶ The sequence [mb] is not a possible onset

▶ [Na . to]

▶ The first syllable starts with [N]▶ No English word or syllable can start with [N]▶ The sequence [N] is not a possible onset

▶ [tsA]


▶ [nukÙ]



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Phonotactics


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▶ [Na . to]▶ The first syllable starts with [N]▶ No English word or syllable can start with [N]▶ The sequence [N] is not a possible onset

▶ [tsA]


▶ [nukÙ]



Course Readings




Phonotactics


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▶ [tsA]▶ The first syllable starts with [ts]▶ No English word or syllable can start with [ts]▶ The sequence [ts] is not a possible onset

▶ [nukÙ]



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Phonotactics


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▶ [tsA]▶ The first syllable starts with [ts]▶ No English word or syllable can start with [ts]▶ The sequence [ts] is not a possible onset

▶ [nukÙ]▶ The first syllable ends with [kÙ]▶ No English word or syllable can end with [kÙ]▶ The sequence [kÙ] is not a possible coda


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Phonotactic ConstraintsVocabulary:The rules that determine the possible onsets or codas arecalled phonotactics constraints (a.k.a phonotactics).

▶ ‘phono’ = sounds ; ‘tactic’ = arrangement(how the sounds can be arranged)

Key Fact:Different languages have different phonotacticconstraints.

▶ In Dholuo, [mb] and [N] are possible onsets:▶ [mba . ka] = story▶ [Na . to] = person

▶ In Tlingit, [ts] is a possible onset, and [kÙ] a possiblecoda:

▶ [tsA] = seal▶ [nukÙ] = to do


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Phonotactics and Syllabification

Fun Fact:Phonotactic constraints play a major role in syllabification.

▶ What’s wrong with: *[2 . nd1ôs . tænd . iN]▶ [nd] is not a possible onset of English

(No word of English begins with [nd])

▶ Why not this: *[pEpt . ow . bIzm . Al]▶ [zm] is not a possible coda of English

(No word of English ends in [zm]])


Course Readings




Phonotactics


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Toward the Syllabification Rule

But, phonotactic constraints don’t explain everything...

▶ Why don’t we syllabify like this: *[b2l . own . i]▶ This syllabification is totally consistent with English

phonotactics.▶ [b2l] is a possible English syllable▶ [own] is a possible English syllable▶ [i] is a possible English syllable

▶ The answer will come from a concrete rule(algorithm) for syllabifying an English word...


Course Readings




Syllabification RuleStep 1: Label Nuclei

Step 2: Label Onsets

Step 3: Label Codas

Step 4: Group Into Syllables

SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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The Syllabification Algorithm

▶ There are four main steps to the ‘syllabification rule’(‘syllabification procedure’, ‘syllabification algorithm’)

▶ We will illustrate each step with our made-up words[bædAôtAgli] and [tægnIsp].


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Step 1: Label the Nuclei

▶ Every syllable has a nucleus.▶ Key Fact: All vowels serve as syllabic nuclei.▶ So, Step One of our syllabification procedure is:

▶ Identify all the vowels in the word, and...▶ Label those vowels as ‘nuclei’ (N)

b æ d A ô t A g l i t æ g n I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


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Step 1: Label the Nuclei

▶ Every syllable has a nucleus.▶ Key Fact: All vowels serve as syllabic nuclei.▶ So, Step One of our syllabification procedure is:

▶ Identify all the vowels in the word, and...▶ Label those vowels as ‘nuclei’ (N)

b

N

æ d

N

A ô t

N

A g l

N

i t

N

æ g n

N

I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


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Step 2: Label the Onsets

Step 2:To the extent allowed by the phonotactics, gather up all thephones preceding a nucleus, and label them as an onset.

▶ Look at the consonants preceding each ‘N’

▶ Find the largest continuous sequence that Englishphonotactics allows to be an onset.

▶ Write an ‘O’ above that sequence and connect eachphone to that ‘O’ with a line.

b

N

æ d

N

A ô t

N

A g l

N

i t

N

æ g n

N

I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


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O

b

N

æ d

N

A ô t

N

A g l

N

i t

N

æ g n

N

I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô t

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A g l

N

i t

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æ g n

N

I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô

O

t

N

A g l

N

i t

N

æ g n

N

I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


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Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô

O

t

N

A g l

N

i t

N

æ g n

N

I s p

▶ [ôt] is not a possible onset of English (no word starts with [ôt])


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô

O

t

N

A g

O

l

N

i t

N

æ g n

N

I s p



Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i t

N

æ g n

N

I s p


▶ [gl] is a possible onset of English (e.g. [glow])


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

N

æ g n

N

I s p




Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

N

æ g

O

n

N

I s p




Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Step 2: Label the OnsetsStep 2:To the extent allowed by the phonotactics, gather up all thephones preceding a nucleus, and label them as an onset.




O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

N

æ g

O

n

N

I s p



▶ [gn] is not a possible onset of English (no word starts with [gn])


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Finding the Onsets

▶ A major part of ‘Step 2’ is figuring out “Can thissequence of phones be an onset in English?”

▶ To answer this, either:▶ Use your own ‘intuitions’ as a native speaker

(if you are one)▶ Team up with a friend who is a native speaker

(if you aren’t one)

▶ Either way, you ask “can a word of English start withthis sequence of phones?”


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Step 3: Label the Codas

Step 3:To the extent allowed by the phonotactics, gather up theremaining unlabeled phones following a nucleus, and labelthem as a coda.

▶ Look at the consonants following each ‘N’ (that aren’talready labeled as ‘O’s)

▶ Find the largest continuous sequence that Englishphonotactics allows to be a coda.

▶ Write a ‘C’ above that sequence and connect each phoneto that ‘C’ with a line.

O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

N

æ g

O

n

N

I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A

C

ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

N

æ g

O

n

N

I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A

C

ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

N

æ

C

g

O

n

N

I s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A

C

ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

N

æ

C

g

O

n

N

I

C

s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Step 3: Label the CodasStep 3:To the extent allowed by the phonotactics, gather up theremaining unlabeled phones following a nucleus, and labelthem as a coda.




O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A

C

ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

N

æ

C

g

O

n

N

I

C

s p

▶ [sp] is a possible coda of English (e.g. [k2sp])


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Finding the Codas

▶ As with Step 2, a major part of ‘Step 3’ is thequestion “Can this sequence of phones be a coda inEnglish?”

▶ To answer this question, either:▶ Use your own intuitions as a native speaker

(if you are one)▶ Team up with a friend who is a native speaker

(if you aren’t one)

▶ Either way, you ask “can a word of English end withthis sequence of phones?”


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Step 4: Add the Syllable Lablels

Step 4:Group together the ‘O’s, ‘N’s and ‘C’s into syllables.

▶ Above each N, write a ‘σ ’ (for syllable), and draw a lineconnecting them.

▶ If there is an O preceding an N, connect that O to the σthat N is connected to.

▶ If there is a C following an N, connect that C to the σ thatthe N is connected to

O

b

N

æ

O

d

N

A

C

ô

O

t

N

A

O

g l

N

i

O

t

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æ

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O

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I

C

s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

σ

N

æ

O

d

σ

N

A

C

ô

O

t

σ

N

A

O

g l

σ

N

i

O

t

σ

N

æ

C

g

O

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σ

N

I

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s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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σ

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b

N

æ

σ

O

d

N

A

C

ô

σ

O

t

N

A

σ

O

g l

N

i

σ

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t

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σ

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I

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s p


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Study Exercise:

▶ At home, try running this procedure on the followingwords:

▶ [2nd1ôstændiN] (“understanding”)▶ [pEptow bIzmAl] (“Pepto Bismol”)▶ [b2lowni] (“Bologna”)

▶ Confirm that our rule will predict the correctsyllabification for these words.


Course Readings






Step 3: Label Codas


SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Summing Up

What We’ve Done So Far:

▶ We’ve laid out a rule that will correctly syllabifyEnglish words.

▶ This rule, then, is one (very small) part of an answerto our ‘fundamental question’.

The Fundamental Question (for Linguists):What is the system of rules and mental representationsthat underlies out ability to speak and understand ahuman language?


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Problem: Syllabic Consonants

But, there’s a problem for our syllabification rule...

▶ If we follow this rule, the only possible nuclei we willget will be vowels

▶ However, although every vowel is a nucleus...

▶ ...some nuclei are not vowels.


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Syllabic Consonants in EnglishKey Fact:The consonants [l], [n], and [ô], can be nuclei in English.

Words With Consonants as Syllabic Nuclei:

▶ “kitten” [kI . tn]

▶ “cuddle” [k2 . dl]

▶ “banner” [bæ . nô]

Question: Why do we say they are the nucleus of a syllable?

Answer: We hear these words as having two syllables, butthere is no ‘second vowel’ before the final consonant.

▶ “kitten” and “cuddle”: tongue never leaves alveolar ridgeafter [t]/[d].

▶ “banner”: you go immediately from [n] to [ô], with nointervening vowel


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Syllabic Consonants in English

Vocabulary:When a consonant serves as a syllabic nucleus, it is saidto be a syllabic consonant

IPA Representation:In IPA, syllabic consonants are indicated by putting a littlevertical line beneath them:

▶ “kitten” [ kI . tn"

]

▶ “cuddle” [ k2 . dl"

]

▶ “banner” [ bæ . nô"

]


Course Readings





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Onsets OverCodas

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Syllabic Consonants in English

It seems, then, that the real syllabification rule for Englishoutputs representations like these:

σ

O

k

N

I

σ

O

t

N

n"

σ

O

k

N

2

σ

O

d

N

l"

σ

O

b

N

æ

σ

O

n

N

ô"

The Problem:

▶ Our current rule won’t make representations like this▶ so, we have to fix our rule...▶ ... but it goes beyond ‘201’ to explain how.


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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One Last Mystery

Question:Why don’t we syllabify “bologna” like this: *[b2l . own . i]

▶ This syllabification is totally consistent with Englishphonotactics.

▶ [b2l] is a possible English syllable▶ [own] is a possible English syllable▶ [i] is a possible English syllable

The answer comes from an important feature of our rule...


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Onsets Over CodasA Prediction of Our Rule:If phonotactics allow a consonant to be either an onset or acoda, then it will be an onset.

▶ [b2 . low . ni], not *[b2l . own . i]

Question: How, exactly, does our rule predict this?

Answer: Because our rule determines the onsets first.

▶ Step 2:Gather up all the consonants that can form an onset, andlabel them as such.

▶ Step 3:Of the remaining consonants, gather up all those that canform a coda, and label them as such.

Since our algorithm creates the onsets first......the codas are made out of only those consonantsthat couldn’t form onsets...


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Illustrative Derivation

Let’s see in detail how this works, by using our algorithmto syllabify “bologna”

Step 1:Label every vowel as a nucleus.

b 2 l ow n i


Course Readings





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Onsets OverCodas

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Step 1:Label every vowel as a nucleus.

b

N

2 l

N

ow n

N

i


Course Readings





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Onsets OverCodas

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b

N

2 l

N

ow n

N

i


Course Readings





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Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

N

2

O

l

N

ow

O

n

N

i


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Illustrative DerivationLet’s see in detail how this works, by using our algorithmto syllabify “bologna”


O

b

N

2

O

l

N

ow

O

n

N

i

▶ Notice that on this step, we are forced to group [l] and [n]

as onsets▶ The rule won’t let us “wait” to Step 3 to group them as

codas


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Illustrative DerivationLet’s see in detail how this works, by using our algorithmto syllabify “bologna”


O

b

N

2

O

l

N

ow

O

n

N

i

▶ Nothing happens at this step, since there are no‘remaining unlabeled phones’.


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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O

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Course Readings





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Onsets OverCodas

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O

b

σ

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O

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i


Course Readings





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Onsets OverCodas

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σ

O

b

N

2

σ

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l

N

ow

σ

O

n

N

i


Course Readings





SyllabicConsonants

Onsets OverCodas

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Summing Up:

▶ There is a general ‘preference’ for consonants to beonsets, rather than codas.

▶ That is, if the phonotactics allow a particularconsonant to be either an onset or a coda, then it willbe an onset.

▶ [b2 . low . ni], not *[b2l . own . i]

▶ Our syllabification algorithm captures this fact, byordering the labeling of onsets before the codas.

▶ The codas will only be made out of those consonantsthat couldn’t be onsets.

syllables and phonotactics - people.umass.edu · towards ‘phonotactics’ but why don’t those...

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