Phonological Processes

phonotactics

possible sound sequences

real work: [tr]ick

non-word but possible: [tw]ick

impossible: [tl]ick or [tn]ick

common phonotactic constraints

nasal + oral consonant should agree in place of articulation ([mb], [nt], [ŋg], but *[mt])

voicing agreements in obstruents - if 2 obstruents are together, than they tend to have the same voicing (both voiced/voiceless when together) (word endings in english)

systemic gaps

sequences that fail to occur (and speakers judge ungrammatical)

ex: [tl] in english - just doesn’t sound like something we say

accidental gaps

potential word or sound sequence phonologically well-formed, but doesn’t exist in language, e.g. [twɪk] in english

systematic gaps and alternations

phonotactic constraints cause…

alternations

positionally-condition changes (which we can express via rules)

ex: [tʰ] vs [t] vs [ɾ], vs [ʔ]

types of alternations/phonological processes

assimilation, dissimilation, insertion, deletion, metathesis, coalescence, strengthening, and weakening

assimilation

when a sound becomes more like a neighboring sound with respect to some phonetic property

ex: in english nasals, depending on the next consonant, the nasal will change to match the place of articulation of the following consonants (the nasal takes on the same place of articulation as the consonant following it)

vowel harmony

is a subclass of assimilation where all vowels in a word must share certain phonetic features, such as being front or back, rounded or unrounded

dissimilation

where two close or adjacent sounds become less alike with respect to some property

ex: in the picture the stops turn into fricatives because it makes it change the manner of articulation so it is easier to pronounce

insertion (epenthesis)

when a sound appears in the surface phonetic form which was not in the underlying phonemic form

ex: in the picture, the voiceless stops make the transitions easier to pronounce (like n → s is hard)

deletion (elision)

when a sound, which is present in the underlying phonemic form, is not expressed at all in the surface phonetic form

ex: in the picture, the h is not taken away at the beginning of the sentence since it is a content word, but are taken out in the middle which are function words

tends to happen when speaking quicker

metathesis

when there is a change in order of sounds

ex: in the picture, there is a reversal because it is hard to pronounce because of 3 consonants in a row for the first 2 words. but when reversed, there are only 2 consonants in a row, making it easier to pronounce

coalescence

combination of two sounds into one

in the image, the high vowel + the low vowel = mid vowel

strengthening (fortition)

when a sound become stronger

rule: voiceless stops become aspirated at the beginning of a stressed syllable (we should hear it more clearly when stressed so it makes sense)

ex: english aspiration - aspirated stops are longer compared to unaspirated stops, and something that is longer, we are more likely to hear

weakening (lenition)

when a sound becomes weaker

rule: an alveolar oral stop /t/ or /d/ becomes a flap when it occurs after a stressed vowel and before an unstressed vowel (flap is much quicker than a /t/ or /d/ and it obstructs airflow a lot less so it makes sense)

ex: english flapping/tapping ALSO when a voiced sound becomes devoiced