yun-pi yuanyun-pi yuan1 phonology definition definition processes affecting sounds processes...

Yun-Pi YuanYun-Pi Yuan 1

PhonologyDefinitionProcesses affecting soundsSyllables, Syllable structureMandarin syllable structureSuprasegmentals Phonemes, AllophonesPhonetic difference vs. phonemic differenceTranscription Phonological rules, Morphophonemic rules Allowable sequences of phonemes Interaction between phonology and other aspects

of language


Phonology

Describes and explains sound patterns (systems); the abstract (or mental) aspect of sounds

Sound patterns:– Sets of sounds

• List of sounds that belong to one lang.; sets of phonemes; possible speech sounds in all languages

– Arrangements of sounds• Order: e.g, CV, CVC, V

– Processes affecting sounds


Processes Affecting Sounds

Addition– Adding a sound which wasn’t there before– e.g., gamle gamble

Deletion– contraction in fast speech, e.g., “I’ll”– friendship

Substitution (or changing)– Assimilation

Rearrangement– E.g, comfortable comftorble


Syllables (1) Definition: a unit more “natural” (i.e.,

psychologically real) for most people than individual sounds

When dividing words into smaller units usually syllables; e.g., “im-por-tant”

The importance of syllables in poetry/song:– Meter– Rhyme

Recite alphabet in syllables Many forms of writing (began or) based on

the syllable


Syllables (2) Alphabet vs. Letter

– The alphabets: the set of letters– How many alphabets are there in Eng.? In

Japanese? – 26 letters of the alphabet

Syllabic alphabet: one symbol represents one syllable. Ex: Japanese

Syllable structure: a syllable always contains a vowel or a vowel-like sound.


Syllable Structure(1)

Syllable

(onset) rime

nucleus (coda)

F F

(consonant(s)) vowel (consonant(s)) (or syllabic consonant)

(A structure basically fit into any language.)


Syllable Structure (2) Examples:

V: “I” /aI/CV: “do” /du/

VC:/æm/

CVC:/nAt/ /laIk/

VCC: “eggs”/Egs/

CCV: “glee” /gli/

CCVC: “green” /grin/

CCCVCCC(C): strengths /strENQs/ / strENkQs /


Mandarin Syllable Structure

Tone 聲調 (Initial) Final

聲母韻母 (Medial) Rime

介音韻 Nucleus (Ending)

主要元音韻尾


Suprasegmentals (1)

Definition: elements of sound which interact with syllables and longer units.

Why called “suprasegmentals”?– “supra” = “above” or “over”– “segment” = piece; individual sound

Not only individual sounds and their combinations in syllables are important, but also other sound elements that go with them.


Suprasegmentals (2)

Pitch: high/low of the voice – High/low of the voice, controlled by vocal cords

Stress: the combination of pitch, length/clarity of vowel, volume – For emphasis– N/V pairs

Tone: pitch variation Intonation: pitch over a phrase, clause or

sentence


Phonemes (1) Phonemes are sounds which make a

difference to meaning – A speech sound which speakers of a

language can recognize as a distinctive sound (in their language) which affects meaning

– A psychological real speech sound, recognized as different from other speech sounds

– An abstract mental representation of a set of sounds


Phonemes (2) pot and spot: /ph/ vs. /p/

– Physically different but psychologically the same to speakers

– So /p/ is a phoneme– /p/ = {p, ph} or /p/ = [p], [ph]

Notation:– / / = phoneme– [ ] = allophone– { } = set of allophones


Allophones Different actual (physical) pronunciation of a

phoneme It makes no difference to meaning. It is phonemically/mentally the same, but

physically different. /l/, /r/ are phonemes in Eng., but /l/ = {l,ł} allophones

– [l]: “late” (regular alveolar l)• Occurs before + high V or + mid, front V

– [ł]: “law,“ “real” (velarized l)• Occurs before + backk V, + low V, or at the end of syllable

Nasality on vowels: /i/ = {i, ĩ }– tea vs. team


Phonemic & Phonetic Difference Phonemic difference in one language may

be phonetic difference in another, and vice versa (i.e., allophones in one lang. may be phonemes in another).

Nasality on vowels– Eng.

• /i/ = {i, ĩ }

– Twi (Ghana)• /ka/ = “bite”; /kã/ = “speak”

– Taiwanese• “pig” vs. “sweet”; “west” vs. “give birth” (Nash 50)


Phonemic & Phonetic Difference

Compare English and Taiwanese vowels– pig (in Taiwanese) [di] –nasal make phonemic

sweet (in Taiwanese) [dĩ] +nasal difference in Taiwanese

– west (in Taiwanese) [se]

give birth (in Taiwanese ) [se]


Phonemic & Phonetic Difference

Aspiration– English: /p/ = {p, ph} – Hindi, Thai, Taiwanese: /p/, / ph /

• Hindi: /p∧l/ = “moment”; / ph ∧l/ = “fruit” (Nash 49)

Mandarin consonants distinguished by +aspirated or –aspirated– p’, p t’, t k’, k ts’, ts tE’, tE tC’, tC (Nash 45)


Phonemic and Phonetic DifferenceThai

phonemesPhonetic segments

English phonemes

Taiwanese phonemes

/p/ [p]

/p/

/p/ 杯

/ph/ [ph] /ph/ 信

/b/ [b] /b/ /b/ 買


Transcription Transcription = the use of phonetic symbols to show

sounds in written form Phonemic transcription shows phonemes in slashes:

/ /– In dictionaries– pin /pIn/

Phonetic transcription shows allophones in square brackeets: [ ]; it gives more details of the physical pronunciation– For speech therapy; for phonological study of sound

processes;; for linguistic description, etc.– little /lItl/ vs. [lIDl], [lItl], [lI l]


Phonological Rules General principles determining the

occurrence of allophones (i.e., determining how a phoneme is actually pronounced under specific conditions).

State (three things about) what is required for a certain process to operate:– The type of sound involved (with distinctive

feature)– The environment (the linguistic context; the

surrounding sounds, syllable structure) – What happens to this type of sound


Phonological Rule 1

Voiceless stops (when they’re at beginning of a syllable) before a stressed vowel + aspirated– Pit [phIt], cool, top


Phonological Rule 2

Vowels (when before nasal consonants) + nasal– Team [t ĩm]

– Tune [tũn]

The nasalization of vowels is a case of assimilation (under the pressure of “be quick and easy”).


Assimilation

When two phonemes occur in sequence and some aspect of one phoneme is taken or “copied” by the other, the process is known as assimilation. (Yule 59)


Phonological Rule 3

Velarization of /l/: /l/ (before + back or + low vowel, or at

the end of syllable) velarized– Law [ O], real [rił]


Morphophonemic Rules A morpheme, with different

pronunciations determined by phonology Morphophonemic = morphology +

phoneme Example: negative prefix

– Even though written in 2 ways: in-, im-, actually with 3 different pronunciations: [In], [Iŋ], [Im]

– “In words a nasal consonant is formed at the same place as a consonant that comes after it.”


Negative Prefix A velar nasal [ŋ ] is formed, if followed

by a velar consonant– E.g., incomplete, ingratitude [Iŋ]

An alveolar nasal [n] is formed, when followed by an alveolar consonant– E.g., indefinite, insecure [In]

A bilabial nasal [m] is formed, when followed by a bilabial consonant– E.g., impossible, immature [Im]


Formal Versions of Rules [+ stop, - voice] [+ aspiration]/# --- [-

consonantal, + vocalic, + stress] “voiceless stops are/become aspirated [in

the environment of ][at] the beginning of a syllable before a stressed vowel”

[-consonantal, + vocalic] [+ nasal] --- [ + consonantal, - vocalic, + nasal]


Allowable Sequences of Phonemes “Tlaloc” Syllable structure

– CV: the most preferred syllable in all languages– V, VC, CV, CVC all possible in Eng.? In

Mandarin?– C– CCCVCCCC “strengths”

• Probably the longest syllable in English

• But the beginning CCC cannot be just any C

• [s/p, t, or k/l, r, y, or w/], plus limits on combos of the three groups


Interaction Between Phonology and Other Aspects

of Language Phonology with morphology

– Stress placement is predictable (in some cases) given knowledge of the word class

– The pronunciation of a morpheme determined by phonology

Phonology with syntax Phonology with semantics


Interaction Between Phonology & Morphology (1)

Word class stress N/V pair:

– conflict, conflict– convert, convert– conscript, conscript– pervert, pervert– record, record


Interaction Between Phonology & Syntax

Noun compounds vs. adj. + noun phrase– blackboard, black board– blue bird, blue bird– hot dog, hot dog– the White House, a white house


Interaction Between Phonology & Morphology (2)

Negative prefix: /In/ (see slide 25)

Regular plural: /z/– teachers, books, churches

Regular past tense: /d/– begged, tripped, needed


Interaction Between Phonology & Semantics

Intonation: change meaning of a phrase, clause, sentence– You like this class. (statement)– You like this class. (question).

Tone: change meaning of a (morpheme or) word– 媽– 麻– 馬– 罵

yun-pi yuanyun-pi yuan1 phonology definition definition processes affecting sounds processes...

Documents

syllable slide

sounds syllables

sounds processes

japanese syllable structure

individual sounds

sets of sounds list

sounds addition

sentence slide