SL1002 Foundations of Linguistics and Phonology Exam Revision Flashcards

Flashcards for key vocabulary and concepts for the SL1002 Foundations of Linguistics and Phonology exam.

Morphemes

smallest meaningful units in language

Phonology

study of speech sounds

Allophones

variations of a phoneme

Allomorph

variants of a morpheme

Phonotactics

rules governing sound combinations

MLU

average length of utterance

Phoneme

class of sounds

Distinctive features

underlying speech segments

Sonorant

airflow almost unimpeded (constant air pressure)

Consonantal

produced via obstructed airflow

Approximant

produced by frictionless airflow

Phonological processes

patterns of sound change

Systemic simplification

common phonological processes, sound substitution

Structural processes

errors at the syllable level

Assimilation processes

one sound influences another

Phonotactics

rules about where sounds occur

Prosody

permissible stress and intonation patterns

Lexical stress

relationship between weak and strong syllables

Prominence

pitch, loudness, and duration

Stress

strength relationship between syllables

Primary stress

segment that has more prominence

Secondary stress

segment that has less prominence

Sonority

acoustic feature related to vocal constriction

Onset

consonants before the vowel

Rhyme

nucleus (vowel) + coda (consonants)

Open syllables

do not have a coda

Closed syllables

have a coda

Prosodic elements

rhythm and melody (stress and intonation)

Metrical Feet

rhythmic units that words are made of

Left-dominant

word with a strong first syllable

Right-dominant

word with a strong syllable last

Morphology

identifying, analyzing structure of morphemes

Affix

word parts

Free morphemes

can stand alone

Bound morphemes

cannot stand alone

Root morphemes

forms the basic meaning of a word

Non-root morphemes

add information about morphemes

Derivational

make new words; often change word class

Inflectional

add grammatical information but don't change class

Syntax

structure of sentences

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

framework assessing communication difficulties, acknowledges social factors

Ecological systems theory

environment, a child's interactions in those environments, can contribute to development

Speech delay

delay in acquisition of skills in speech

Speech disorder

persistent difficulties acquiring speech skills

Speech difference

communication norms differ from standard

Dialects

variations of a language

Pidgin

language that develops from contact

Creole

pidgin that has expanded for broader use

Operant conditioning

theory that controls acts by reinforcement

Nonlinear phonology

hierarchical relationship between phonological system