Transcript Descriptive Grammar of English Part 1: Phonetics and Phonology

Descriptive Grammar
of English
Part 1:
Phonetics
and Phonology
dr Iwona Kokorniak
(with contribution from dr Jarosław Weckwerth)
14th December 2008
1
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
2
The phoneme
The phoneme is the smallest unit
of sound contrast
It may bring about a change of meaning
For ‘normal people’
phoneme = speech sound
But really it’s an abstract grouping
of sound variants
3
The allophone
Variants of one phoneme are called
allophones (domain of phonetics)
Allophones of one phoneme usually have
many features in common
/t/
h
[t ]
[t]
4
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
5
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
6
Why is it good to know?
What’s a phoneme in one language
May be an allophone in another
‘Similar’ phonemes may have
different allophones
One of the sources of ‘foreign accent’
7
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
8
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
9
Transcription
10
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 not
stack [stæk] span [spæn] today [tə'deɪ]
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Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 2
aspiration
h
[p æt]
12
Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 3
aspiration
h
[rɪ't eɪn]
13
Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 4
no aspiration
[tə'deɪ]
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Voiceless plosives – Aspiration 5
no aspiration
[skeɪt]
15
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
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Voiced plosives – Devoicing
Voiced plosives are devoiced if next to
silence
or a voiceless sound
Devoicing on the left: initial devoicing
Devoicing on the right: final devoicing
17
Voiced plosives – devoicing
18
Voiced plosives: Devoicing
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All plosives: Lack of release
When another plosive follows
The first one is unreleased
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All plosives: Lack of release
21
Plosives: Nasal release
Consider: brudny, setny
If a homorganic nasal follows
Release is by lowering the velum
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Nasal release: Zoom
23
Homorganic sounds
Homorganic means
Articulated at the same place
/t d n/ are all alveolar
= they’re homorganic
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Plosives: Lateral release
Consider: wedle, butla
If a homorganic lateral follows
Release is achieved by lowering the side(s) of the
tongue
̩
̩
25
Lateral release: Zoom
26
Plosives
Aspiration (voiceless)
Partial devoicing (voiced)
Lack of release
All of these different from Polish
27
Plosives
Nasal release
Lateral release
The same as in Polish!
28
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/
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Voiceless plosives: Glottalization
2
glottal stop
h
[p æʔt]
glottal
reinforcement
or
h
[p æʔ]
glottal
replacement
30
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
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Voiceless plosives: Glottalization
4
32
T voicing
Before an unstressed vowel:
 Between vowels
 Or
before syllabic /l/
 Or
after /n l r/ in AmEng
/t/ may be voiced
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T voicing: Zoom
34
T voicing: Zoom
35
T voicing
Almost obligatory in AmEng
Optional in BrEng
IPA symbol:
[ɾ]
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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]
37
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
38
English fricative allophones
Voiced fricatives can be partially
devoiced, the same as plosives
39
English affricate allophones
Voiced affricates can be partially
devoiced, the same as plosives and
fricatives
40
Partial devoicing
[muuuvvvfff]
41
English nasal allophones
Slightly devoiced after /s/
42
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
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Syllabicity of nasals: Zoom
44
English approximant
allophones
They all undergo complete
devoicing
After a voiceless plosive
At the beginning of a stressed
syllable
45
Approximants – Complete
devoicing
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Approximants – Complete
devoicing
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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.
48
Approximants - Devoicing
No devoicing at the beginnings and
ends of words!
Very different from Polish
49
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
50
Clear and dark /l/
(The difference is less
noticeable in AmEng)
Before vowels or /j/: normal,
clear /l/
Like in Polish
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Clear /l/
52
Clear and dark /l/
Elsewhere, dark velarised /l/
Like ‘gładkie ł’ in Polish
[ɫ]
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Clear and dark /l/
[l]
[ɫ]
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Dark /l/
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Syllabicity of laterals
The lateral /l/ is syllabic at the end of a
word when immediately after a
consonant
E.g. paddle, whistle, channel
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Syllabicity of /r/
In AmE, /r/ becomes syllabic when it
occurs at the end of a word and after a
consonant
E.g. razor, hammer, tailor
57
Coarticulation
coarticulation takes place
when sounds influence each
other
58
Coarticulation
Consider Polish:
susy vs. siuśki
Is the /u/ the same?
sień vs. sen
Is the /e/ the same?
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Coarticulation
In both cases, the palatal
consonants pull the vowel
Towards the front
Upwards
60
Coarticulation
all utterances involve coarticulation
i.e. the overlapping of adjacent
(neighbouring) articulations
English consonants vary their place
of articulation so that they often
become more like the next sound
61
Coarticulation
English is an anticipatory language
the articulation of the sounds yet to
come are anticipated to some extent
Other languages, e.g. Italian or French,
are perseverative
the articulation of one sound tends to
persevere, or continue, into the
following sound
62
Palatalisation
a consonant is palatalised when
followed by /i:/ or /j/
the front of the tongue is raised towards
the hard palate
the diacritic is [J]
63
Palatalisation: Zoom
64
More coarticulation
Consider:
kura vs. kij
Lip rounding during /k/
65
More coarticulation
All consonants are lip-rounded before a
rounded vowel
66
Labialisation
a consonant is labialised when
followed by /w/ or a rounded vowel /u:/
/o:/
lips are rounded during the articulation
of the consonant
the symbol is [W]
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Labialisation: Zoom
68
Good news
Some of it is the same in Polish and
English
E.g. consonant lip-rounding
Or influence of /j/ on /u/
69
Bad news
Some of it is different
E.g. retraction of /t, d/ before /r/
70
Retracted /t, d/ before /r/
71
More bad news
Alveolar consonants become
dental
Before /θ δ/
As in weight, width, tenth
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Dentalisation
alveolar sounds [ t d n s z l ]
become dental before a dental
consonant
More examples: wealth, health,
at this, add them
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Vowel allophones
– pre-fortis clipping
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Vowel allophones
– pre-fortis clipping
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Vowel allophones
– pre-fortis clipping
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Vowel allophones - nasalisation
the vowel nasalised
Always if a nasal follows
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Examples to consider:
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Examples to consider:
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Examples to consider:
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Examples to consider:
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Examples to consider:
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Examples to consider:
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Examples to consider:
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