The Sound Patterns of
Language:
Phonology
Chapter 5
Ms. Abrar A. Mujaddidi
Introduction
In the previous chapter, we have
investigated the physical production of
speech sounds.
 What made that investigation possible?
YET;
 Every individual has a vocal tract that is
physically different than others’.
 So, every individual will pronounce sounds
differently.

cont.,
Moreover, every individual will pronounce
the same word differently on different
occasions.
 What makes us recognize all the different
versions of the word ‘me’ as [mi], not as
any other word?

Phonology

Phonology is the description of the
systems and patterns of speech sounds in
a language.

It is based on a theory of what every
speaker of a language unconsciously
knows about sound patterns of that
language.

Provide examples..
cont,

Phonology is concerned with the abstract or
mental aspects of sounds in language.

Compare to phonetics?
Phonetics is the physical properties of speech
sounds, e.g. how the sound is physically
produced.

Phonology serves as the underlying design for
all the variations in different physical articulations
of a sound type in different contexts.
cont.,

We think of the [t] sound in the following words
to be the same:
- tar
- star
- writer
- eighth

What we mean is that in the phonology of English
they are all represented inn the same way, but
physically, they are all different!
Phonemes
Phonemes:
meaning-distinguishing sounds in a
language.
 Phonemes are written between slashes
e.g. /t/
 Phonemes function contrastively
e.g. /f/ and /v/
fat
vat
fine
vine

cont.,

To determine the phonemes that exist in a
language:
we use the contrastive property:
if we substitute one sound for another
in a word and there is a change in
meaning, then the two sounds
represent different phonemes.
e.g. night vs. kite
cont.,




The basic phonemes of English are listed in the
consonant and vowel charts of English.
The features of each sound are used to create
these charts.
Those features are used to distinguish one
phoneme from another.
We use the (+) and (-) to mark the presence or
absence of the phonemic features.
e.g. /p/ [ -voice, +bilabial, +stop]
/k/ [ -voice, +velar, + stop]
cont.,

Natural class:
/p/ [ -voice, +bilabial, +stop]
/k/ [ -voice, +velar, + stop]
because these two sounds share some features,
they are described sometimes as members of a
natural class of sounds.

Sounds which share common features behave
phonologically in a similar way.
A sound which does not share these features
behave differently.

cont.,

Cont. natural class:
e.g. /v/ [+voice, +labiodental, +fricative]
So, /v/ cannot be put in the same ‘natural’ class
of sounds as /p/ and /k/.

The idea of natural class can help in explaining
why we have words in English starting with /pl-/
and /kl-/ but not with /vl-/.
Phones and allophones

We established earlier that a phoneme is
the abstract unit (in the mind).

There are many versions of that unit
regularly produced in actual speech (in
the mouth).
we can describe these different versions
as phones.
cont.,
Phones are: phonetic units and appear in
square brackets.
 We can have several versions of one
phoneme. These are allophones of one
phoneme.
e.g. /t/
1 phone [tʰ]
tar

phoneme
1 phone [
1phone [
]
writer
]
eighth
Allophones
cont.,

The basic distinction between phonemes and
allophones:
- In phonemes: if we substitute one phoneme for
another will result in a word with a different
meaning (and of course pronunciation).
e.g. tar
vs.
bar
- When substituting allophones, only unusual
pronunciations of the same word occur.
e.g.
‫ فأر‬vs. ‫ڤأر‬
cont.,

Another example to clarify the idea of
phonemes vs. allophones:
vowel nasalization
-Phonemic in French
e.g. [so] (pail)
[sõ] (sound)
- Non-phonemic in English; since
nasalizing a vowel does not change a
meaning of a word.
- Try it out!
Minimal pairs and sets

How do we test phonemes?
We test phonemes by pairs and sets of words.

Minimal pair:
When two words are identical in form except for
a contrast in one phoneme occurring in the
same position, then the two words are
described a minimal pair.
e.g. bat vs. fat
bat vs. bet
cont.,

Minimal sets:
When a group of words can be
differentiated by changing one phoneme
in the same position in the word, then we
have a minimal set.
e.g. feat
fit
fat
fate
foot
Phonotactics

In each language, there are a number of
patterns in the types of sounds
combinations permitted.
e.g. In English, we can create new words
vig or las, but not fsig or rnig!

Phonotactics are the permitted
arrangements of sounds in a a language
are part of the every speaker’s
phonological knowledge.
cont.,
vocabulary gaps
accidental
gaps
e.g. vig or
lig
systematic
gaps
fsig or rnig
Syllables and Clusters

A syllable must contain a vowel or a
vowel-like sound.

The most common type of syllable in a
language has a consonant as well.

When describing syllables:
C = consonant
V = vowel
cont.,
syllable
onset
(optional)
one or more
consonants
rhyme
Nucleus
(not optional)
vowel
coda
(optional)
one or more
consonants
cont.,
syllables
open syllables
Syllables which end
in a vowel and
no coda
closed syllables
syllables which
end in a coda
‘consonants’
cont.,

Consonant clusters:
both the onset and the coda can consist
of more that one consonant
e.g. green (CCVC)
street (CCCVC)
post (CVCC)
cont.,

In English, consonant clusters of more than
two consonants follow a certain rule:
1st
consonant
s
2nd
consonant
p
t
k
3rd
consonant
w
r
l
Co-articulation effects
We have been describing the production of
speech in slow motion.
 On the contrary, our speech is fast and
spontaneous.
 Our articulators move very quickly from
one sound to another without stopping.

cont.,

Co-articulation:
co-articulation is the process of making
one sound almost at the same time of
making the next sound.

Examples of Co-articulation effects:
1. Assimilation
2. Elision
Assimilation

Assimilation occurs when two sounds
occur in sequence and some aspect of
one segment is taken or ‘copied’ by the
other.

Examples of Assimilation:
Vowel nasalization: as in pin or pan.
Velarization: as in I can go.
Vowel reduction: you and me.
1.
2.
3.
Elision

Elision is the process of not pronouncing
a sound segment that might be present
in the deliberately careful pronunciation.

Examples of elision:
You and me
Friendship
aspects
1.
2.
3.
We are done with ‘phonology’!!