Definitions

Question 1

Give the definition for monophthongs.

Answer 1

Vowels whose position of articulation is constant e.g. ‘r’

Question 2

What is a diphthong?

Answer 2

Sounds whose articulation moves from one position to another.

Question 3

Define ‘allophones of a phoneme’.

Answer 3

An allophone is a set of multiple possible sounds made to pronounce a single phoneme in a particular language.

Question 4

What is a phoneme?

Answer 4

A phoneme is a sound or a group of different sounds perceived to have the same function by speakers of the language or dialect in question. An example is the English phoneme /k/, which occurs in words such as cat, kit, scat, skit.

Question 5

Define ‘affricate’.

Answer 5

Starts as plosive (stop), releases as fricative e.g. ch in chair

Question 6

What is a plosive?

Answer 6

A stop.

Question 7

Define ‘fricative’.

Answer 7

Turbulent air flow, narrow opening e.g. ‘f’

Question 8

Define ‘manner of articulation’.

Answer 8

the configuration and interaction of the articulators (speech organs such as the tongue, lips, and palate) when making a speech sound.

Question 9

Define ‘assimilation’.

Answer 9

a sound change where some phonemes (typically consonants or vowels) change to be more similar to other nearby sounds. It is a common type of phonological process across languages.