Phonemes in different languages Nasalized vowels and nasal ...takekik.free.fr/enseignements/LLCM40AN_2007-2008/Week3.pdf · LLCM40AN English Phonetics and Phonology Week 3: Phonetics

LLCM40AN English Phonetics

and Phonology

Week 3: Phonetics and phonology, phoneme

and allophone, distinctive features (continued)

T. Kamiyama, Université de Marne-la-Vallée

2007-2008

1. Phoneme and allophone

Phonemes in different languages

11/02/2008 T. Kamiyama LLCM40AN English Phonetics and Phonology 2007-2008 Week 33

Phonemes in different languages

• In a given language, you can make list of the

phonemes that make up a phonological system of

the language.

• In English:

• /p b t d k ! f v " # s z $ % h t$ d% m n & r l j w/

• /i' (' )' *' u' + e æ , - . +/ e/ ./ e+ a+ *+ a. /. //

• The choice and the boundary of phonemes may be

different from one language to another: e.g.

French does not have the same system.


Nasalized vowels and nasal vowels in

English and French

• In English (here, the case of an American

speaker), oral [æ] in /kæt/ and nasal [01] in /kæn/

are allophones of the phoneme /æ/.

• But to French speakers, they sound differently. In

French /a/ and /01/ are different phonemes:

minimal pair /!a/ and /!01/.


French /R/

• In French there are various realizations

(allophones) of /R/

• [p*2]

• [p*4]

• [p*3]

• [p*r]

• [p*5]

• [p*'(/)]

• -> /p*2/ «!port!»

• [2 4 3 r 5 V'(/)] are

all allophones of the

phoneme /2/ in

French.


• 1. «!s’est effondré!»

• 2. «!s’est absenté!»

• 3. «!être déçu!»

In Moroccan Arabic, however …


In Moroccan Arabic, however …

• 1. /rab/ «!s’est effondré!»

• 2. /2ab/ «!s’est absenté!»

• 3. /3ab/ «!être déçu!»

-> /r/, /2/, and /3/ are 3 different phonemes11/02/2008 T. Kamiyama LLCM40AN English Phonetics and Phonology 2007-2008 Week 3

8

In English …

• In the onset of a stressed syllable, you have [p]

after /s/ (as in [spe+s]), and [p6] in other

contexts (as in [p6e+s]): the two allophones of

the phoneme /p/, namely [p] and [p6] are in

complementary distribution.


In Korean …

• [pa&] “bread”

• [p6a&] “bang” (onomatopoeia)

• /p/ and /p6/ are two different phonemes in

Korean, unlike in English and in French.


Summary

• Two sounds (or “phones”: to be transcribed

between [ ] square brackets) may be two

allophones of the same phoneme in one

language, but two different phonemes in

another.

2. Phonetics and phonology


Phonetics and phonology

• Both phoneticians and phonologists study

speech sounds of human languages.


Phonetics and phonology: in the

structuralist tradition

• Phonetics deals with

concrete physical

realizations of

speech sounds

(articulatory,

acoustic, and

perceptual

characteristics).

• Phonology deals

with the sound

system of languages:

how phonemes

function, how they

are used in a given

language.


Some examples of topics treated in

phonetics and phonology

• Phonetics deals with

concrete physical

realizations: word-

final /l/ in RP is

“dark” (articulatory,

acoustic, perceptual

characteristics). It is

not the case in

French.

• Phonology deals with

the sound system of

languages: /l m n & r/

can be the nucleus

(peak) of syllables in

English. It is not the

case in French.

3. Some tools of phonology:

natural class and distinctive

feature analysis


Natural class

• The consonants of English can be grouped into

some groups according to their behaviours in

the language.

• - /l m n & r/ can be nucleus (peak) of syllable

• - Others cannot.


Natural class: some other

examples

• The vowels /i y u/ in Canadian French show

common behaviours, unlike others.

• They may be devoiced.

• They are realized as lax allophones [+ 7 .] in

closed syllables.

• - /i y u/ form a natural class of high vowels.


Distinctive features

• Theory formalized first by Roman Jakobson.

• Phonemes should be regarded:

not as independent and indivisible unit

but instead as combinations of different binary

features (+ or -).

• A distinctive feature makes it possible to

distinguish phonemes.


Distinctive features: some examples

• /p b m f v/ are all labial consonants: one or both

lips are involved. -> [+ labial]

• /b d ! v # z % d%/ are all voiced. -> [+ voice]

• /f v " # s z $ % h/ are fricatives: the airstream

is not blocked completely and flows out

continuously. -> [+ continuant]


Distinctive features: some examples

• Phonemes are represented in terms of

combination of features.

• /v/ [+continuant, +voice, +labial]

• /p/ [-continuant, -voice, +labial]

• /!/ [-continuant, +voice, +velar]

• /k/ [-continuant, -voice, +velar]


Distinctive features• With 1 binary feature, we can distinguish 2

phonemes at most (2 = 21).

+-[voice]

dt

• With 2 binary feature, we can distinguish 4

phonemes at most (4 = 22: “two squared”).

++--[labial]

+-+-[voice]

bpdt



• With 3 binary features, we can distinguish 8

phonemes at most (8 = 23: “two cubed”, or

“two to the third power”).

++++----[continuant]

++--++--[labial]

+-+-+-+-[voice]

vfzsbpdt



• In reality, it is not always perfectly economical

(or efficient).

• To distinguish the 24 consonants and the 20

vowels of English, we need more than 5 (cf. 32

= 25) features respectively.


A distinctive feature analysis of the English consonant

system

Spencer (1996)


A distinctive feature analysis of

the English vowel system

Roach (1991)11/02/2008 T. Kamiyama LLCM40AN English Phonetics and Phonology 2007-2008 Week 3

26

Application of features

• In generative phonology, we explain sound

changes with rules involving features.

• /kæn/ [kæ 1n]

• [-consonantal] -> [+nasal] / _ [+nasal]

• Vowels ([-cons]) become nasal ([+nasal]) in

the following context (/): before a nasal.

End of Class 2

Class 3: Stress, rhythm and weak forms

Documents

Phonemes in different languages Nasalized vowels and nasal ...takekik.free.fr/enseignements/LLCM40AN_2007-2008/Week3.pdf · LLCM40AN English Phonetics and Phonology Week 3: Phonetics