Phonology Notes

Phonology

  • Phonology is the study of the sound systems of languages. It focuses on how phonemes function and the rules they follow.

Relationships in Linguistics

  • Phonetics vs. Phonology:
    • Phonetics: The physical properties of speech sounds (phones).
    • Phonology: Abstract representation of sounds (phonemes).

Key Concepts of Phonology

  • Phoneme:
    • Defined as minimal contrastive units in a language.
    • Main function is to distinguish meanings of words.
    • Examples in English: /p/, /o/, /s/.
    • Characteristics of phonemes:
    • Mental/cognitive sound images.
    • Abstract constructions that compose words (e.g., ( Top = /t/+ /o/ + /p/ )).
    • Distinctive sound units.

Distinctiveness of Phonemes

  • Distinctiveness:
    • Property allowing phonemes to contrast meanings.
    • Pairs reflecting this feature: pill vs. bill (/p/ vs. /b/).
    • Other examples:
    • Pit vs. Bit
    • Sad vs. Sack
    • Did vs. Deed
    • Task: Show distinctiveness for /g/, /v/, /z/, /r/, /u:/, /o/.

Distribution of Sounds

  • Distribution:
    • Refers to the contexts in which phonemes can occur.
    • Example: Phoneme /p/ appears in: pit, top, spot, apt (free distribution).
    • Tasks to examine distribution of: /r/, /ʧ/, /ʒ/, /ŋ/, /ɔ/, /j/.

Identifying Phonemes

  • Finding Phonemes:
    • Method: Use of minimal pairs (words differing by one phoneme).
    • Example: pill/bill (contrast /p/ vs. /b/ at the same position).
    • Task: List 5 minimal pairs across initial, medial, and final positions.

Minimal Pair Test

  • Minimal Pair Test:
    • Tool for establishing phonemes via words differing minimally.
    • Example: Dog/log (contrasts /d/ and /l/).
    • Conclusion: /d/ and /l/ are phonemes.
    • Minimal Set Test: Similar method using sets of minimally differing words (e.g. set, get, bet, yet).
    • Task: Prove /u/ and /l/ are phonemes using tests.

Phonemes vs. Sounds

  • Phonemes vs. Sounds:
    • Phonemes are mental constructs, realized as sounds (allophones).
    • Allophone: Contextual variant of a phoneme (speech sound variation).
    • Example: Different sounds of /t/ (aspirated vs. unaspirated).
    • Task: List 5 allophones of /t/ with contexts.

Types of Distribution

  • Two Basic Types of Distribution:
    • Parallel Distribution: Typically of phonemes (e.g., pit, bit).
    • Complementary Distribution: Typically of allophones; occur in mutually exclusive environments.
    • Example: Aspirated [t] before stressed vowels; unaspirated [t] after [s].
    • Conditions for allophone relationship:
    • Not distinctive themselves.
    • Phonetically similar.
    • In complementary distribution.

Exercises for Practice

  • Exercise 1: Prove /z/ and /u:/ are phonemes of English.
  • Exercise 2: Determine allophones of /r/, /l/, /k/ with 3 examples each.
  • Exercise 3: Design a minimal set test to prove /d/, /g/, /l/, /v/ are phonemes of English.

Supplementary Resources

  • Videos:
    • Phonology: Crash Course Linguistics #10 - YouTube
    • Introduction to Phonology - YouTube