Download Syllables, Rules and Phonological Processes - Lecture Slides | LING 2100 and more Study notes Linguistics in PDF only on Docsity! Syllables, Rules, and Phonological Processes Syllable • A necessary unit in the mental organization and production of utterances • A prominence peak Sonority Sequencing Generalization (SSG) • In any syllable, there is a segment constituting a sonority peak that is preceded and/or followed by a sequence of segments with progressively decreasing sonority values. Syllabic Consonants • Form the peak of a syllable • Generally ‘longer’ than their non-syllabic counterparts Complications • Syllable boundaries are not clearly defined. • However, how many syllables in... ...beer, whale, fire, flour, (flower,) hour, shower? Syllable Structure • Cf., Collocational restrictions between Nucleus and Coda, but not between Onset and Nucleus Syllable Structure • Cf., Collocational restrictions between Nucleus and Coda, but not between Onset and Nucleus Phonological Rule • A statement about the distribution of the surface forms, or the allophones of a phoneme. • Mediates between underlying, mental elements (phonemes) and their surface, physical realizations (allophones) • Operates on the specific articulatory features of the underlying segments Phonological processes Assimilation • Making a (bundle of) feature(s) of a segment more “similar” to a (bundle of) feature(s) of another (often neighboring) segment • An underlying alveolar nasal /n/ becomes velar (nasal) in front of another velar consonant, such as voiceless velar stop [k]. Palatalization • A special type of assimilation • Assimilation to the feature [Palatal] • Careful (or formal) vs. casual (or informal) speech the ideal timing of features
Nn §S
alveolar alveolar
stop
fricative
velum lower
=nasal
H velum raised
voiceless
Insertion
the ideal timing of features
Nn §S
alveolar alveolar
stop
fricative
velum lower
=nasal
H velum raised
voiceless
Insertion
alveolar alveolar
stop
face 1ahY()
Wetman
=nasal
velum raised
voiceless
Deletion • Elimination of a segment present at the phonemic level Fortition and Lenition Fortition (Strengthening) • Makes segments “stronger” • Aspiration • A period of voicelessness after the release of an articulation Fortition and Lenition Lenition (Weakening) • Makes segments “weaker” • Flapping • An articulator rapidly strikes against another articulator.