- Neutralization:
The sounds that belong to two separate phonemes may lose their contrast
in certain environment(s). When we have /t/ and /d/ in intervocalic position
in unstressed syllables, the contrast between /t/ and /d/ disappears and they
are both realized identically as, what is called the “flap,” as shown in writer –
rider [ra
ɪɾɚ]. Such an event is termed “neutralization.”
( The alveolar stop /t/ and /d/ can be flapped between stressed vowel and unstressed
vowel in a word.)
e.g.) betting – bedding [bɛɾɪŋ], liter - leader [liɾɚ]
ladder – latter [læɾɚ], grater –grader [greɾɚ]
The two front vowels /ɪ/ and /ɛ/ can easily be shown in contrast, as in bit vs.
bet, or pit vs. pet. However, if the consonant after the vowel is nasal, for
several speakers of American English, the contrast is neutralization in favor of
[ɪ], as in pin and pen [pɪn].
- Neutralization:
The sounds that belong to two separate phonemes may lose their contrast
in certain environment(s). When we have /t/ and /d/ in intervocalic position
in unstressed syllables, the contrast between /t/ and /d/ disappears and they
are both realized identically as, what is called the “flap,” as shown in writer –
rider [ra
ɪɾɚ]. Such an event is termed “neutralization.”
( The alveolar stop /t/ and /d/ can be flapped between stressed vowel and unstressed
vowel in a word.)
e.g.) betting – bedding [bɛɾɪŋ], liter - leader [liɾɚ]
ladder – latter [læɾɚ], grater –grader [greɾɚ]
The two front vowels /ɪ/ and /ɛ/ can easily be shown in contrast, as in bit vs.
bet, or pit vs. pet. However, if the consonant after the vowel is nasal, for
several speakers of American English, the contrast is neutralization in favor of
[ɪ], as in pin and pen [pɪn].
2.4 Free Variation
- When the two sounds do not create change in meaning in possible
alternative productions, they show a free variation.
(i) The final stops of American English are normally unreleased and
unaspirated as in bake[bekㄱ], dip[dɪpㄱ], etc. However a speaker may
pronounce these items with released final stops, not creating any
change
in meaning.
⇒That is, we can find the released and unreleased allophones in an
overlapping distribution, when the meaning of the words does not
change.
This is termed a free variation.
(ii) Free variation is related not to the allophones of the same phoneme, but
to the realizations of different phonemes.
e.g.) economic : [i] of [ɛ] → phonemic free variation
either : [i] and [aɪ] → phonemic free variation
back : [k] and [kㄱ] → allophonic free variation
- When the two sounds do not create change in meaning in possible
alternative productions, they show a free variation.
(i) The final stops of American English are normally unreleased and
unaspirated as in bake[bekㄱ], dip[dɪpㄱ], etc. However a speaker may
pronounce these items with released final stops, not creating any
change
in meaning.
⇒That is, we can find the released and unreleased allophones in an
overlapping distribution, when the meaning of the words does not
change.
This is termed a free variation.
(ii) Free variation is related not to the allophones of the same phoneme, but
to the realizations of different phonemes.
e.g.) economic : [i] of [ɛ] → phonemic free variation
either : [i] and [aɪ] → phonemic free variation
back : [k] and [kㄱ] → allophonic free variation
2.5 Morphophonology
- Several of the processes that are shown to be crucial in accounting for the
allophonic variations in languagaes can also be found active across morpheme
boundaries.
- When morphemes are combined to form bimorphemic (with two morphemes)
or polymorphemic words, many of the assimilatory phenomena can be present.
- In English, the phonetically motivated nasal assimilation is found across
morpheme boundaries.
[ɪm] [ɪn] [ɪŋ]
impersonal independent incomplete
improbable intolerant inconclusive
impossible inadvisable incapable
The nasal sounds in negative prefix are assimilated to the place of the
following consonants across the morpheme boundaries.
- Several of the processes that are shown to be crucial in accounting for the
allophonic variations in languagaes can also be found active across morpheme
boundaries.
- When morphemes are combined to form bimorphemic (with two morphemes)
or polymorphemic words, many of the assimilatory phenomena can be present
- In English, the phonetically motivated nasal assimilation is found across
morpheme boundaries.
[ɪm] [ɪn] [ɪŋ]
impersonal independent incomplete
improbable intolerant inconclusive
impossible inadvisable incapable
The nasal sounds in negative prefix are assimilated to the place of the
following consonants across the morpheme boundaries.
- The case of the English negative prefixes does not deal with allophones of the
same phoneme, but rather shows contextually predictable alternations among
separate phonemes.
- That English [m], [n], [ŋ] are not allophones of the same phoneme but belong
to separate phonemes /m/, /n/, /ŋ/ can clearly be shown as in sum[m], sun[n],
sung[ŋ].
- Thus, what is revealed in the case of English negative prefixes is that there is
an alternation of different phonemes for the same morpheme(indicators
of
the same meaning unit).
- Such cases are traditionally called morphophonemic alternations, and the
different phonetic manifestations of the same morpheme (morpheme
alternants) are called the allomorphs.
negative morpheme
[ɪm] [ɪn] [ɪŋ] : morphophonemic alternations,
allomorphs
- The case of the English negative prefixes does not deal with allophones of the
same phoneme, but rather shows contextually predictable alternations among
separate phonemes.
- That English [m], [n], [ŋ] are not allophones of the same phoneme but belong
to separate phonemes /m/, /n/, /ŋ/ can clearly be shown as in sum[m], sun[n],
sung[ŋ].
- Thus, what is revealed in the case of English negative prefixes is that there is
an alternation of different phonemes for the same morpheme(indicators
of
the same meaning unit).
- Such cases are traditionally called morphophonemic alternations, and the
different phonetic manifestations of the same morpheme (morpheme
alternants) are called the allomorphs.
negative morpheme
[ɪm] [ɪn] [ɪŋ] : morphophonemic alternations,
allomorphs