Phonetics

What is phonemic neutralization?

Overlap in phonetic realization of sounds, such as unaspirated voiceless plosives after /s/.

What is an archiphoneme?

Combines characteristics of distinct phonemes in neutral contexts.

What does phonetic conditioning refer to?

The way sounds are influenced by adjacent sounds, causing phonemes to vary in their realizations according to the phonetic context.

What is assimilation in phonetics?

Phoneme change due to neighboring sounds; for example, 'bad girl' can become [bag gɜ:ɫ] in casual speech.

What is coalescence?

The merging of two features or segments into one feature, often found at word boundaries.

What is elision?

The deletion of phonemes, such as saying 'tasteless' as [ˈteɪsləs].

What does liaison refer to in phonetics?

Phoneme insertion for ease, such as linking or intrusive /r/.

What is apraxia of speech?

A motor speech disorder characterized by difficulty coordinating muscle movements.

What is aphasia?

Damage to the left brain hemisphere affecting language skills like formulation and comprehension.

What is dysarthria?

A condition resulting from weak muscles that causes articulatory issues.

What is cluttering?

Rapid, incoherent speech with incorrect rhythm and syntax.

What characterizes stuttering?

Repetitions, pauses, and blocking of sounds.

What is a cleft palate/lip?

A condition causing nasality due to incomplete closure of the palate.

What is a lisp?

An inability to produce sibilant sounds, such as [s] and [z].

What is labialisation in secondary articulation?

The rounding of lips during the articulation of sounds, such as in 'swan'.

What is palatalisation?

The raising of the center of the tongue towards the hard palate, as in 'tune'.

What does glottalisation refer to?

The insertion of the glottal stop [ʔ] before or in place of voiceless plosives.

What is /g/-dropping?

The substitution of alveolar [n] for velar [ŋ] in -ing endings, as in 'doin’'.

What is /th/-fronting?

The replacement of dental fricatives by labio-dental ones, where /ð/ and /θ/ are replaced by /f/ and /v/ respectively.

What is /h/-dropping?

The omission of the /h/ sound in initial positions of words.

What is /l/-vocalisation?

A process where dark /l/ is not released laterally and turns into a rounded vowel.

What is /r/-dropping?

The historical omission of /r/ that created new diphthongs and characterized certain English dialects.

What is the intrusive /r/?

An inserted /r/ between words to avoid a vocalic hiatus, such as in 'I saw him'.

What is yod-dropping?

The absence of the /j/ sound in words of the GOOSE and CURE sets, common in certain dialects.

What is yod-coalescence?

The merging of the yod sound with preceding consonants to create palatalised forms.

What was the whale-wale merger?

Historically, a merger between two phonemes: /hw/ and /w/, more common in Scottish English.