Phonetics and Phonolgy

Question 1

Linguistics

Answer 1

= scientific study of language

Question 2

Phonetics

Answer 2

= the science of human speech sounds with no specific reference to their function in a given sound-system

Question 3

Phonology

Answer 3

= studies sounds and their contrasts within a specific sound-system
- functional aspect of sounds

Question 4

Phonemics

Answer 4

• either a synonym of phonology
• or theoretical study of phonemes

Question 5

Phonemes

Answer 5

= constractive units of sound which can be used to change meaning
- abstract entity shared by a native community
- / /

Question 6

Allophones

Answer 6

= actual sounds spoken by speakers and interpreted as one phoneme despite possible phonetic difference
- [ ]

Question 7

contrastive distribution

Answer 7

= two phonemes (never allophones) appearing in the same enviroment and with a change in meaning
- minimal pairs and minimal sets

Question 8

Allophonic variation – complementary distribution

Answer 8

• /l/ - clear [l] light v. dark [ɫ] till
• the two allophones are in complementary distribution, i.e. one or the other

Question 9

Allophonic variation – free variation

Answer 9

• two (or more) sounds or forms appearing in the same environment without a change in meaning

Question 10

The phonemic principle

Answer 10

1. two or more sounds are realisations of the same phoneme if they are in complementary distribution or they are phonetically similar
2. two or more sounds are realisations of different phonemes if they are in contrastive distribution or they serve to signal a semantic contrast

Question 11

Phonetic neutralisation

Answer 11

• two phonemes show overlap in phonetic realisation
• i.e. a sound may appear to belong to either of two phonemes

Question 12

Archiphoneme

Answer 12

• it combines the characteristics of two normally distinct phonemes that cannot be differentiated in certain contexts

Question 13

Phonemic merger

Answer 13

• absolute phonemic neutralisation
• two previously separate phonemes become one
  (example: meet-meat merger)

Question 14

Phonemic split

Answer 14

• establishment of a new phoneme in a given language (accent)

Question 15

Phonetic conditioning

Answer 15

= the way in which sounds are influenced by adjacent sounds
- 4 main types:
1. allphonic variation
2. assimilation
3. elision
4. liasion

Question 16

Assimilation

Answer 16

• a phoneme is replaced by another one due to the influence of the preceding/following phoneme
• two types: leading and lagging

Question 17

Leading assimilaion

Answer 17

• right-to-left
• regressive

Question 18

Lagging asimilation

Answer 18

• left-to-right
• progressive

Question 19

Elision

Answer 19

• deletion of a phoneme

Question 20

Liaison

Answer 20

• the insertion of a phoneme to enable easier articulation of the sequence
• for example linking /r/ and intrusive /r/

Question 21

Phonotactics

Answer 21

• restrictions on the possible combinations pf phonemes within a particular language (accent)
• example:
• /ŋ/ in word-final positions only
• /h/ never in word-final positions

Question 22

Prague linguistic circle

Answer 22

• Nikolay Trubetzkoy
• Roman Jakobson
• Vilém Mathesius
• Josef Vachek

Question 23

Distinctive feature theory

Answer 23

• Roman Jakobson, continued in Trubetzkoy work
• Universal binary (i.e. two mutually exclusive options) system of twelve distinctive features to describe all languages of the world
• Distinctive features: e.g. +/- nasal, +/- consonantal, +/- vocalic

Question 24

prosodeme

Answer 24

• a phoneme stretching over more than one segment of sound; e.g. yes pronounced with different pitch patterns.

Question 25

toneme

Answer 25

(=tonal phoneme) - in tonal languages like Chinese, the only distinctive element is the different tone