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Introduction to Russian phonology and word structure

Introduction to Russian phonology and word structure. Ch 8: Assimilation, part 1: Voicing and devoicing. Q&A. 1. Is there any logic to having final devoicing?. Q&A. 1. Is there any logic to having final devoicing?

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Introduction to Russian phonology and word structure

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  1. Introduction to Russian phonology and word structure Ch 8: Assimilation, part 1: Voicing and devoicing

  2. Q&A • 1. Is there any logic to having final devoicing?

  3. Q&A • 1. Is there any logic to having final devoicing? • Yes, it is well-motivated as an assimilation to zero pronunciation (silence!), in anticipation of the stoppage of speech.

  4. Q&A • 2. What useful purpose could final devoicing serve?

  5. Q&A • 2. What useful purpose could final devoicing serve? • It can help to mark the boundary between words

  6. Q&A • 3. What is special about m, n, r, l, (and j) as concerns voicing assimilation?

  7. Q&A • 3. What is special about m, n, r, l, (and j) as concerns voicing assimilation? • These consonants don’t cause assimilation and they can only rarely be devoiced. Note that these sounds form a natural class – what is it?

  8. Q&A • 3. What is special about m, n, r, l, (and j) as concerns voicing assimilation? • These consonants don’t cause assimilation and they can only rarely be devoiced. Note that these sounds form a natural class – what is it? • They are the sonorants!

  9. Q&A • 4. Which consonants cause preceding consonants to voice?

  10. Q&A • 4. Which consonants cause preceding consonants to voice? • Hard and soft б, д, г, з, plus ж.Notice that these sounds form a natural class. What is it?

  11. Q&A • 4. Which consonants cause preceding consonants to voice? • Hard and soft б, д, г, з, plus ж.Notice that these sounds form a natural class. What is it? • The voiced obstruents! (well, except в, which seems to have some issues…)

  12. Q&A • 5. What is going on with в, and why is it acting like a “window”?

  13. Q&A • 5. What is going on with в, and why is it acting like a “window”? • Basically в is still waffling on its status as an obstruent. It does act like an obstruent when it has another obstruent following it, to back it up, otherwise it acts like a sonorant (betraying its heritage).

  14. Q&A • 6. What’s going on with свадьба and its relationship to сват and сватать?

  15. Q&A • 6. What’s going on with свадьба and its relationship to сват and сватать? • This is a rare example of Russian failing to preserve a morphological relationship in the spelling of a root consonant. It should be *сватьба, but note also свадебный.

  16. More fun with transcription • Let’s do this on the board…

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