Chapter 2 Review: Phonology, Morphemes, and CBC Notation

A set of practice flashcards covering core concepts from Chapter 2: phonemes vs morphemes, minimal pairs, allophones vs phonemes, graphemes vs allographs, CBC notation, diphthongs, affricates, bound vs free morphemes, and syllables with primary stress.

What is a phoneme?

The smallest unit of sound that can distinguish meaning; it does not carry meaning on its own.

What is a morpheme?

The smallest unit of language that carries meaning.

What is a minimal pair?

Two words that have the same phonemes except for one phoneme difference.

What is an allophone?

A phoneme produced with slightly different articulation depending on context; does not change meaning.

What is a grapheme?

A written symbol or letter used to represent a sound.

What is an allograph?

Alternate letters or letter combinations that represent the same phoneme (sound).

What does CVC notation mean, and what does it describe?

Consonant-Vowel notation; a phoneme-pattern representation using C for consonant and V for vowel, focusing on sounds rather than spellings.

What is a diphthong?

Two vowels that form one single vowel sound.

What is an affricate?

A consonant sound that starts as a stop and releases as a fricative in one sound.

What is the difference between bound morphemes and free (premorpheme) morphemes?

Bound morphemes cannot stand alone (e.g., -ing, -s, -er); free/premorphemes can stand alone as words (e.g., drive, walk).

Give examples of bound morphemes.

Examples include -ing, -s, -er; these attach to a stem to add meaning.

Give examples of free morphemes.

Examples include drive, table, walk; these can stand alone as words.

How many morphemes are in ‘giraffes’ and what are they?

Two morphemes: giraffe (free morpheme) + s (bound morpheme).

How many morphemes are in ‘overloaded’?

Three morphemes: over + load (two free morphemes) + ed (bound morpheme).

What is a syllable?

A unit of speech that contains at least one vowel; every syllable has a vowel.

What is primary stress?

The strongest beat or emphasis in a multisyllabic word; marks where stress falls.