Phonology

Phonology

1. Complementary versus Overlapping Distribution

   • When two sounds are capable of occurring in the same environment, we say that these sounds are in overlapping distribution.
     • Obstruents • Voiced–voiceless pairs with same place and manner of articulation (e.g. [p–b], [s–z], [tS–dZ]). • Pairs of sounds with same voicing and manner of articulation, and rather close places of articulation (e.g. [s–S], [f–T]).
     • Sonorant consonants • All nasals (especially the ones that are close in place of articulation). • All liquids (within laterals, within non-laterals, and across these two subgroups).

2. Complementary distribution

   • presents the diametrically opposing picture. Here we never find the two or more sounds in the same environment
     • Contrast: day – they Contrast: cheap – jeep

3. Free Variation

   • It cases in which the allophones of a phoneme occur in the same environment. This is a violation of (c), because it does not follow the principle that the allophones should be in complementary distribution.
     • the final stops of American English are normally unreleased and unaspirated (see chapter 3 for details) as in bake [bek∏], dip [dIp∏]
     • The second type of free variation is related not to the allophones of the same phoneme, but to the realizations of different phonemes

4. Practical Uses of Phonological Analysis

   • alphabetic writing systems are ideally phonemic in that they target one phoneme to one grapheme.
     • the orthographic th, which stands for two separate phonemes, /T/ and /D/ (e.g. ether [iT2] – either [iD2]), makes the point clearl

5. Morphophonology

   • When morphemes are combined to form bimorphemic (with two morphemes) or polymorphemic words, many of the assimilatory phenomena discussed can be present there too.
     • dZEnte] “people” [aèke] “also” [tinta] “dye” [staèko] “tired” [tenda] “tent” [bjaèka] “white” [nero] “black

6. Leonardo Dayan Guillen Orozco 17/11/2020