Phonology Terms

contrastive distribution

when there are minimal pairs so segments are contrastive, by changing one sound you change the meaning of the word = separate phonemes

complementary distribution

when two sounds always occur in different environments, never in the same = allophones of the same phoneme

minimal pairs

two or more forms with distinct meanings, differing by one segment in the same position

phoneme

contrastive phonological unit in a particular language

mental concept of a sound

allophone

when two or more segments are phonetically distinct but phonologically the same, predictable variants of one phoneme

specific pronunciation of the mental phoneme

broad transcription

/ / = phoneme

narrow transcription

[ _ ] = allophone

environment

phonetic context in which a sound occurs, what comes before and after sound (ex: _ C, # _)

phonological rules

natural classes

distinctive features

free variation

no difference in meaning, phonetically similar, do not adhere to phonetic rules and environmental constraints

near-minimal pairs

segments in nearly identical environments, differ by a few