english phonology lecture

Laryngeal features

English Phonology Lecture

Katalin Balogné Bérces

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Revision: The larynx with the vocal cords

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Sonorants (nasals, liquids, glides + vowels) are inherently voiced: spontaneous voicing

Obstruents may contrast for voicingHungarian (and similar languages): true voiced-

voiceless distinctions (voiced obstruents with considerable vocal cord vibration)

„voice languages”

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English (and similar languages):- voiceless = stable = "strong" = fortis- voiced = unstable = "weak" = lenisDevoicing of lenis obstruents:

Lenis obstruents are only really voiced phonetically when surrounded by sonorants: bravo, bigger, reading: passive voicingThe aspirated-unaspirated contrast is more salient phonetically!„aspiration languages”

- aspirated- unaspirated

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English vs. Hungarian:

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English vs. Hungarian:

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English: progressive voice assimilation of -s/-ed

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English: progressive voice assimilation of -s/-ed

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Revision: The phonology of English consonants: aspiration

Two forms of aspiration:

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The phonology of English consonants: aspiration

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Summary:

laryngeal processes/phenomena:- voice (voiced/voiceless, sonorants vs. obstruents, voice vs. aspiration languages, voice assimilation)- devoicing: of sonorants after aspirated /p t k/ of lenis obstruents- aspiration (the spreading of voicelessness of /p t k/ onto the following segment)

plus:- other processes: glottalization (glottal reinforcement, glottal replacement)- related phenomenon: Pre-fortis Clipping of vowels

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Recall:

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The interaction of tapping/flapping and Pre-Fortis Clipping

writing vs. riding?

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English is not a voice language, but rather: "devoiced lenis" = unaspirated:

no voice assimilation: *zg

Connected speech

English Phonology Lecture

Katalin Balogné Bérces

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Revision: The phonology of English consonants: L-darkening in RP

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The choice of allophone is determined by the syllabic position of the consonant.

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What happens to word-final /l/ in connected speech?

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Within and across sentences, the pronunciation of word-final /l/ isdetermined by the following segment in the same way. While it is dark in feel and feel me, it is clear in feel at home; dark in spell and spell this word but clear in spell it. Compare kill and kill Bill with kill you, smile and smile back with smile at me. Cross-word ambisyllabicity.


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Revision: The phonology of English consonants: R-dropping

new homophones:sore – saw, pour – paw, aren't – aunt, farther – father, fort – fought, source – sauce, more – maw, tuner – tuna, sort – sought, court – caught, spar – spa, career – Korea

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new homophones:sore – saw, pour – paw, aren't – aunt, farther – father, fort – fought, source – sauce, more – maw, tuner – tuna, sort – sought, court – caught, spar – spa, career – Korea

The (non)pronunciation of R is determined by its syllabic position.

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What happens to word-final /r/ in connected speech?

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Linking-R:more exciting, your eyes, (to) err is (human), care about, centre of, tire us, etc.between two sentences: e.g., He doesn't care. I do or There'sa spider. I'm scared.

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Within and across sentences, the pronunciation of word-final R isdetermined by the following segment. Cross-word ambisyllabicity.

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PLUS...

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Intrusive-R:visa application, (the) idea is, (the) Shah of (Persia), schwa insertion, law and (order), Gloria Estefan, (cats) claw at (the furniture), (the giant) panda is (an endangered species), etc.between two sentences: Try that sofa. It's softer or Call Maria. I need her.

Further homophones: e.g., vanilla ice – vanilla rice, Amanda Avon – Amanda Raven, the spa is broken – the spar is broken, put the tuna in the box – put the tuner in the box

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Linking-R and Intrusive-R:

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before...


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before...


i. e., historically R-final and historically non-R-final words are treated by speakers analogously

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before...


i. e., historically R-final and historically non-R-final words are treated by speakers analogouslyThere's no synchronic difference between them – they are THE SAME

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before...


i. e., historically R-final and historically non-R-final words are treated by speakers analogouslyThere's no synchronic difference between them – they are THE SAME

=> they are to be treated in the same way in our model of phonological knowledge

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Analytical options?

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Analytical options?(1) both are present in the lexicon (= in the

speakers' mental representations)

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speakers' mental representations)cf., e.g., Harris (1994:262)

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speakers' mental representations)cf., e.g., Harris (1994:262)

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speakers' mental representations)

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speakers' mental representations)(2) both are inserted by rule

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speakers' mental representations)(2) both are inserted by rule: usually considered

as hiatus-fillers

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as hiatus-fillerscf. e.g., Broadbent (1991) – see later

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as hiatus-fillers

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Tapping/flapping

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Tapping/flapping:

- the replacement of /t d/ by the alveolar tap/flap [] in certain dialects of English, e.g., General American:

Tom atómic átomtea eightéen prétty/vánitytomato potáto tomáto/potáto

Tapping/flapping

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Tapping/flapping:



Tapping/flapping


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Tapping/flapping:



Tapping/flapping


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Tapping/flapping:



What happens in connected speech?

Tapping/flapping

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Tapping/flapping:



- across words:hit hit Aníta hit Ánnget get alóng get úp

a tease vs. at easemy tie vs. might I

Tapping/flapping

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Tapping/flapping:



- across words:hit hit Aníta hit Ánnget get alóng get úp

a tease vs. at easemy tie vs. might I

Tapping/flapping

Cross-word ambisyllabicity.

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Cross-word ambisyllabicity

Giegerich (1992:280)

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Other connected speech processes:

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- assimilation processes (place assim., Fricative Devoicing, cross-word palatalization)

regressive place assimilations, e.g.:- dentalisation of /t d n l/ when followed by /θ/: e.g. quite thick- labial assimilation of /t d/: hot pudding [-p p-], Hyde Park [-b p-]- velar assimilation of /t d/: that car [-k k-], bad composition [-g k-]- nasal place assimilation: green peas, raincoat, ink, hunger

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Fricative Devoicing:

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- assimilation processes (place assim., Fricative Devoicing, cross-word palatalization)- consonant deletion, esp. h-dropping of function words

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- assimilation processes (place assim., Fricative Devoicing, cross-word palatalization)- consonant deletion, esp. h-dropping of function words- suprasegmental features: phrasal stress, compound stress, stress-timed rhythm, vowel reduction

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- assimilation processes (place assim., Fricative Devoicing, cross-word palatalization)- consonant deletion, esp. h-dropping of function words- suprasegmental features: phrasal stress, compound stress, stress-timed rhythm, vowel reduction- strong and weak forms of function words:

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(schwa-exercise)

The internal structure of segments(melody)

Are speech sounds atomic?the "atomic hypothesis" but:- processes affecting part of sound segments only: e.g.:nasal place assimilation: place of articulation affected only

obstruent devoicing: voicing affected only


obstruent devoicing: voicing affected only- parts of sound segments revealing themselves: e.g.:

(a) plosive insertion: prince -> prin(t)s/n/ >> /s/voiced voicelessnasal oralstop fricativealveolar alveolar(b) vowel nasalisation: nasality spreading from consonant onto vowel


obstruent devoicing: voicing affected only- parts of sound segments revealing themselves: e.g.:

(a) plosive insertion: prince -> prin(t)s/n/ >> /s/voiced voicelessnasal oralstop fricativealveolar alveolar(b) vowel nasalisation: nasality spreading from consonant onto vowel

- sound segments decomposing: lenition, e.g.:/t/ > /s/ > /h/ > zerovoiceless voiceless voicelessalveolar alveolarstop

/t/ > /D/voiceless alveolarstopalveolar

/t/ > /?/voiceless stopalveolarstop

/t/ > /D/voiceless alveolarstopalveolar

/t/ > /?/voiceless stopalveolarstop

- natural classes: natural class: a group of sounds that share at least one phonological feature, e.g. ‘nasals’, ‘voiceless plosives’ vs. /p l n/phonological processes never affect random groups of sounds

=> the answer is NOone possible model: binary features, e.g.: [±voiced], [±nasal], [±aspirated] (or: [±spread glottis]), [±continuant], [±sonorant], [±high], [±low], etc.([+high, -low], [-high, +low], [-high, -low], *[+high, +low])

redundant (predictable, non-distinctive) featuresvs.nonredundant, distinctive features: nasalisation of vowels, English vs. French

[voiced]: distinctive for English obstruents but redundant for sonorants

predictable = redundant = nondistinctive = nonphonemic

redundancy rules e.g.

An alternative model


Binary features: +/-Or: unary (monovalent/privative)


Binary features: +/-Or: unary (monovalent/privative)both divide sounds into two classes: [+nasal]

vs. [-nasal] / [nasal] vs. zero



vs. [-nasal] / [nasal] vs. zerobut: binary features imply that the classes

should behave symmetrically



vs. [-nasal] / [nasal] vs. zerobut: binary features imply that the classes

should behave symmetricallythis is not true


the classes do not behave symmetrically


the classes do not behave symmetrically:- markedness- phonological activity


the classes do not behave symmetrically:- markedness- phonological activitythese observations support a unary model


the classes do not behave symmetrically:- markedness- phonological activitythese observations support a unary model+ theoretical gain: a privative model of

phonological oppositions is more constrained

An example of unary models: Element Theory


Unary primes: elements


Unary primes: elementslike chemical elements or colours


Unary primes: elementslike chemical elements or colours:

independent interpretation + compounds

Elements for vowels

Elements for vowels

spreading

Elements for vowels

Elements for vowels

composition = fusion

Elements for vowels

decomposition = fission

Elements for vowels

Elements for consonants


the "one-mouth" principleA, I, Ucomplexity+ recall: lenition

Phonology – morphology interface in English

english phonology lecture

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