Allophones

Allophones

• Different phones referring to same phoneme

• Different pronunciations of same phoneme

Characteristics of allophones

• Do not change meaning of word

• All very similar to each other

• Occur in different phonetic contexts

Phoneme

Contrastive sounds, abstract categories that change meaning

Contrastive distribution

• Determining different phonemes

• Finding what sounds contrast with what in the same environment

• Based on minimal pairs

Minimal pairs

Words different by a single segment in the same position

• Rat vs rad

• Contrastive

Complementary distribution

Opposite of contrastive distribution. Sounds occur in non-overlapping, mutually exclusive environments

• Phonemes pronounced differently depending on their environment/where they occur

• Do not change the meaning

• Allophones

Free variation

2 phones can appear in the exact same environment but do not cause change in meaning

• Typically applies to whole words instead of individual words

• Different ways of saying the same thing

Near minimal pairs

• Not always possible to find perfectly minimal pairs.

• Near minimal pairs can be used to establish phonemic contrast

• Identical segments adjacent to target phones

Unlike phonemes

Sounds are sometimes restricted in opposite ways w/ no minimal pairs

• Distinct enough that it is unlikely they are allophones of the same phoneme

Phonological problem solving

Figuring out if sound changes based on environment or if they are minimal pairs

• Minimal pairs - identify phonemes

• Allophones - identify environment & set formal rule

Environments

Sounds that precede & follow sound that is under analysis

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Word boundary

__

Where allophone of interest occurs

Formulating rules

A → B / X__Y

A becomes B between X & Y

/

environment

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phonetic properties/features

Underlying mental representation

Abstract meaningful segment, phonemes

Surface representation

Specifies particular positional variants which realize underlying phonemes. Allophones

Generative phonology

rules for how sounds are distributed in language

Neutralizing rules

Distinction of sounds is neutralizing

• Where 2+ distinct underlying segments have the same phonetic realize in some context bc rule changes phoneme into another

• Flap is an allophone for /t/ & /d/ even though they are contrastive

Derivations

Formal rules apply to change underlying form into surface form

• Underlying = inputs = /phonemes/

• Surface = outputs = [allophones]