Phonemes and allophones

1. Phonemes and allophones Kuiper and Allan Chapter 5.2

2. Phonemes and allophones again • A set of allophones are the allophones of the same phoneme if: • they never contrast; • are in complementary distribution; • are phonetically similar; • are predictable realizations of a phoneme in a particular local phonetic environment. • Phonemes are abstract.

3. Phonemic analysis • consists of three parts: • the phonemic system • the phonotactics • the allophonic rules

4. The English phoneme system • We will suppose that the transcription symbols in Kuiper and Allan represent the phonemes of English.

5. Phonotactics • deals with what sounds may go next to others in sequences of sound.

6. Exercise Look at the sequences of sounds below. Which could be the sound sequences of English words? • /sprUldZ/ • /strçiSt/ • /PmŒ˘jN/ • /fniz/ • /gru˘ltS/ • /swÅNk/

7. Phonotactic rules • are rules which restrict the permissible sequences of sounds in a language. • English initial consonant clusters are restricted. • maximum of three • first of which is /s/ • second of which is a voiceless stop, /p t k/ • third is an approximant, /l r j w/

8. Allophonic rules • Allophones are realizations of phonemes in specific phonetic contexts. • Therefore you can write rules which predict the allophonic realization of a particular phoneme in context.

9. The shape of allophonic rules • Allophonic rules have: • an input • output • a conditioning factor • Input is a phonemic form. • Output is a phonetic representation. • Conditioning factor is an environment.

10. The format of allophonic rules Input ---> output / environment ‘A particular input is realized as a particular output in a given environment.’ e.g. /t/ ----> [R] / V____ V (as in some American pronunciations of butter)