PLINP201
Phonology of English
Lecture 2:
Allophony
allophones of /t/
various degrees of aspiration:
top, stop, letter
variability in final position:
right.
variation in place of articulation:
train, eighth
various special kinds of release:
button, bottle
Does this word have a /t/?
taxonomic
phonemics
no
(if so pronounced)
generative
phonology
yes
no
yes
whistle
"wIsl=
no
no
chalet
no
no
postman
"p@Usm
@n
soften
"sQfn=
"S{leI
night-time
taxonomic-phonemic: /"naIttaIm/
phonetic:
["naIt:haIm]
a string of two phonemes,
but only one (long) phonetic segment
A fortis plosive is aspirated when initial
A fortis plosive is aspirated
when initial in a syllable
with a strong vowel
A fortis plosive is aspirated when initial
in a syllable with a strong vowel
dissipate
"dIsIpeIt
bedtime
"bedtaIm
indicate
"IndIkeIt
Waveforms of the three Thai words bâ: 'crazy', pâ: 'aunt', phâ: 'cloth'.
From Peter Ladefoged, 2001, Vowels and consonants, p. 122
tie
die
sty
from Ladefoged, A
Course in Phonetics
4. An aspirated plosive is one followed by a brief [h]-sound.
That is, there is a delay between the release of the primary
closure of the articulators and the beginning of the sound
that follows. During this delay air continues to be expelled
from the lungs through the open glottis.
English p t k are
● aspirated when at the beginning of a syllable (if it has a
strong vowel)
● unaspirated when preceded by s at the beginning of a
syllable or followed by an obstruent
● slightly aspirated or unaspirated elsewhere.
If a liquid (r, l) or semivowel (j, w) comes between the plosive and the
vowel, then aspiration takes the form of making this consonant voiceless.
/l/ > clear before a
vowel sound let, valley, allow
/l/
"let,
@"laU
"v{li,
> dark elsewhere
milk, table, middle
now
"mIlk,
"teIbl,
"mIdl
perhaps
vocalized
"mIok,
"teIbo,
> [o]