Phonology 1 | LING 1000 Introduction to Linguistics

Practice flashcards summarizing key terms and concepts from the Phonology lecture notes.

Phonology

The component of grammar concerned with the system of contrasts and patterns involving speech sounds.

Phonemic analysis

Analyzing contrasts in speech sounds that can differentiate meaning in language.

Phoneme

The smallest unit of sound that makes a difference in meaning.

Allophone

Phonetically-similar segments that are variants of a phoneme.

Assimilation

A phonological process where the articulation of one segment becomes more similar to that of a nearby segment.

Dissimilation

A phonological process where one segment becomes less similar to a nearby segment.

Epenthesis

A phonological process that involves adding a speech sound into a sequence of speech sounds.

Deletion

A phonological process where a speech sound is removed from a sequence of speech sounds.

Metathesis

A phonological process that alters the order of sounds in a sequence.

Vowel Reduction

A phonological process where a vowel moves to a more central position, usually schwa, in an unstressed syllable.

Coarticulation

When one speech sound influences the articulation of another sound in a sequence.

Minimal pair test

A method to determine if two sounds are distinct phonemes by checking if they can create minimal pairs.

Complementary distribution

The situation where two or more sounds occur in non-overlapping, mutually exclusive environments.

Phonological rules

Rules that describe how phonemes are realized as allophones in specific environments.

Canadian Raising

A phonological phenomenon where certain diphthongs are pronounced differently in specific environments.

Nasal Assimilation

A process where nasal consonants cause nearby vowels to take on a nasal quality.

Flapping

In English, a process where [t] or [d] can become a flap [ɾ] between vowels.

Phonetic transcription

Using symbols to represent speech sounds, typically using IPA.

Voicing assimilation

A process where liquids and glides can be devoiced after a voiceless stop.