Descriptive Grammar of English Part 1: Phonetics and Phonology

1. Descriptive Grammarof EnglishPart 1:Phoneticsand Phonology dr Iwona Kokorniak (with contribution from dr Jarosław Weckwerth) 14thDecember 2008

2. The phoneme • Sounds that are used to distinguish contrasts between words... • Are called phonemes • rat – bat cat – bat rat – cat • These are minimal pairs • This is the domain of phonology

3. The phoneme • The phoneme is the smallest unitof sound contrast • It may bring about a change of meaning • For ‘normal people’phoneme = speech sound • But really it’s an abstract groupingof sound variants

4. [th] [t] The allophone • Variants of one phoneme are called allophones (domain of phonetics) • Allophones of one phoneme usually have many features in common /t/

5. Allophones • Consistent variants of the same phoneme occurring in different words or in different positions in a word or… • Contextual variants of the same phoneme or… • Different phonetic realizations of a phoneme

6. Why is it good to know? • Consider Polish: sieć – keks • Consider French mes – mais • Consider Eastern Polish: ława – lawa • Consider English: let – tell • Consider Spanish: donde – entrada • Consider English: then – den

7. Why is it good to know? • What’s a phoneme in one language • May be an allophone in another • ‘Similar’ phonemes may havedifferent allophones • One of the sources of ‘foreign accent’

8. Contrastive distribution • Two sounds are in contrastive distribution when they are capable of distinguishing meaning; • It means that they don’t belong to the same category i.e. phoneme. • They are two different phonemes. • To check it is to find a minimal pair, e.g.: pin –bin • Or compare them in terms of voicing, place and manner of articulation

9. Complementary distribution • Only allophones of a phoneme can be in complementary distribution • they complement each other, they never contrast, • One has occurrences which the other one doesn’t, e.g. [pʰ] and [p] • If you replace one by the other they do not distinguish the meaning • It will only sound unnatural

10. Transcription

11. Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 1 • Voiceless plosives are aspirated if before vowel in a stressed syllable (not after /s/): pat[phæt] tap[thæp] cap[khæp] • but notstack[stæk]span [spæn]today [tə'deɪ]

12. aspiration Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 2 [phæt]

13. aspiration Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 3 [rɪ'theɪn]

14. no aspiration Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 4 [tə'deɪ]

15. no aspiration Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 5 [skeɪt]

16. Voiced plosives • English has voiced plosives /b d g/ • At beginnings of words (like Polish) • But also (unlike Polish) • at ends of words, e.g. bad • next to voiceless sounds, e.g.bedtime

17. Voiced plosives – Devoicing • Voiced plosives are devoiced if next to silenceor a voiceless sound • Devoicing on the left: initial devoicing • Devoicing on the right: final devoicing

18. Voiced plosives – devoicing

19. Voiced plosives:Devoicing

20. All plosives:Lack of release • When another plosive follows • The first one is unreleased

21. All plosives:Lack of release

22. Plosives:Nasal release • Consider: brudny, setny • If a homorganic nasal follows • Release is by lowering the velum

23. Nasal release: Zoom

24. Homorganic sounds • Homorganic means • Articulated at the same place • /t d n/ are all alveolar= they’re homorganic

25. Plosives:Lateral release • Consider: wedle, butla • If a homorganic lateral follows • Release is achieved by lowering the side(s) of the tongue ̩ ̩

26. Lateral release:Zoom

27. Plosives • Aspiration (voiceless) • Partial devoicing (voiced) • Lack of release • All of these different from Polish

28. Plosives • Nasal release • Lateral release • The same as in Polish!

29. Voiceless plosives: Glottalization 1 • At the end of syllable • A ‘glottal stop’ may be inserted before the plosive • Or it may replace it completely • Most often applies to /t/

30. glottal stop glottal reinforcement glottal replacement Voiceless plosives: Glottalization 2 [phæʔt] or [phæʔ]

31. Voiceless plosives: Glottalization 3 • Glottalization is optional • More widespread in British Eng. • But also used in American Eng. • NEVER applies to sounds other than voiceless plosives

32. Voiceless plosives: Glottalization 4

33. T voicing • Before an unstressed vowel: • Between vowels • Or before syllabic /l/ • Or after /nlr/ in AmEng • /t/ may be voiced

34. T voicing: Zoom

35. T voicing: Zoom

36. T voicing • Almost obligatory in AmEng • Optional in BrEng • IPA symbol: [ɾ]

37. T voicing – Taps • Between vowels [ɾ] is a tap • Tongue tip goes up towards the alveolar ridge... • ... and back down very quickly • Quite like a short /d/ or Polish /r/ in para ['paɾa]

38. T voicing – Flaps • After /r/ in AmEng [ɾ] is a flap • Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge very quickly... • ... ‘in passing’, when going down from the alveolar ridge

39. English fricative allophones • Voiced fricatives can be partially devoiced, the same as plosives

40. English affricate allophones • Voiced affricates can be partially devoiced, the same as plosives and fricatives

41. Partial devoicing [muuuvvvfff]

42. English nasal allophones • Slightly devoiced after /s/

43. Syllabicity of nasals • nasals, together with [r, l], can be syllabic when they occur at the ends of words when immediately after an obstruent • the diacritic [׀] under a consonant indicates that it is syllabic • e.g. leaden, chasm

44. Syllabicity of nasals: Zoom

45. English approximant allophones • They all undergo complete devoicing • After a voiceless plosive • At the beginning of a stressed syllable

46. Approximants – Complete devoicing

47. Approximants – Complete devoicing

48. Approximants – Partial devoicing • an approximant is partially devoiced when preceded by a voiceless fricative • E.g. swim, free, fly, flee, etc. • The diacritic is used below the approximant to indicate its partial devoicing • It is used above [j], though.

49. Approximants - Devoicing • No devoicing at the beginnings and ends of words! • Very different from Polish

50. Velarization of /l/ • a lateral is velarized • the back of the tongue raised towards the velum,as in [u:]) • after a vowel or before another consonant or in the final position • the symbol is