phonetics dialects and diacritics (quiz 3)

Accent

differences in pronunciation of a language.

Dialect

any variety of language features including pronunciations, vocabulary, grammar, and use of language that is shared by a group of speakers. 

Why do we NOT treat accent/dialect modification in children? What about adults?

It’s part of their identity. It’s also part of an adult’s identity, unless they choose to have therapy for it (cases when people move and want to sound like standard American English to be better understood) also for actors who want to perform with different accents or dialects for a role. 

Why do we have dialects?

 Due to social isolation.

What keeps dialects strong?

Membership in the community.

Formal Standard English

Find this used more in written English. It’s the use of proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. 

Informal Standard English

Usually contains slang and colloquialisms that wouldn’t be used in a more formal or professional settings.

Grammatical and Acceptable

proper Grammer, rate, and can bu understood

Ungrammatical but Acceptable

improper Grammar but still understood

Ungrammatical and Unacceptable

you cannot understand

Vernacular English-AAE

using a dialect of English that uses ungrammatical structures.

Dialectical Variation: 

1. Migration

2. Relationships among cultural groups 

3. Redefinition of cultural centers

4. Transportation and communication 

Regional dialects

differ by phonology (accents) and semantics (vocabulary).

Ethnic/social dialects

are categorized by differences in SES, ethnic background, phonology, semantics but also morphology,  syntax, and pragmatics.

Phonological Variations: 

Substitution process, Phonotactic processes, and Prosodic variability

Substitution process

/ɑ,ɔ/: when you substitute one sound for another sound. 

Phonotactic processes

 addition or deletion of phonemes. For example, /kɑd/ for “card.

Prosodic variability

stress differences. For example, /dʒuˈla͡ɪ/  vs.  /ˈdʒula͡ɪ/.

Mergers

features are lost and neutralized (one of them gets dropped) examples include Cot vs caught, Hock vs hawk, Don vs dawn

Language transfer:

 language features from 1 language transfer to another (examples include “No?” or Ch for Sh)

Dentalization

sounds that appear in the alveolar ridge (dentalized or front lisp) Instead of your tongue hitting the alveolar ridge, it would hit right behind the top front teeth (taco and daco)

Dentalization symbol

◌̪

Lateralization

s and z sounds (lateralized lisp) the airflow goes around the tongue instead of the midline

Lateralization symbols

ꞎ and ɮ

Aspiration of stop plosive

release of airflow is excessive

Aspiration of stop plosive symbol

◌ʰ

Unreleased stop plosive

lips come together but the airflow is not released

Syllabic consonants

unstressed syllable in a word

Syllabic consonants symbol

 [fʌnl̩]

Nasality

in connected speech, sometimes the closure is not efficient and the airflow seeps through the velopharyngeal port and our nasal cavity. It is almost always vowels following the nasal sound

Nasality symbol

◌̃

Unreleased stop plosive symbol

◌̚