1. The sound patterns of
language
By:- Saray Cisternas.
-Claudio Fuentealba.
-Camila Martinez.
-Viviana Sanhueza.
Teacher: M.Gabriela Valenzuela
Date: 19-May-2014
Course: General Linguistics

2. Introduction
 Obvious differences occur when a individual is
shouting, is suffering from a bad cold or is asking for a
sixth martini.
 How do we manage consistently to recognize all those
versions, for example of the word :
 me as the form [mi]
 not [ni] or [si] or [ma]
 or [mo] or something else entirely?
 Phonology.

3. Phonology
 Phonology from Greek φωνή, phōnḗ, "voice, sound," and
the suffix -logy (which is from Greek
λόγος, lógos, "word, speech, subject of discussion")
 Phonology is essentially the description of the systems
and patterns of speech sounds in a language.
 Phonology is concerned with the abstract set of sounds
in a language that allows us to distinguish meaning in
the actual physical sounds we say and hear.

4. Phonemes
o Each meaning-distinguishing
sounds in a language.
o When we learn to use
alphabetic writing, we are
actually using the concept of
the phoneme as the single
stable sound type which is
represented by a single
written symbol.
o An essential property of a
phoneme is that it functions
contrastively. This contrastive
property is the basic
operational test for
determining the phonemes
that exist in a language.
o The basic phonemes of
English are listed with the
consonant, vowel and
diphthong diagrams

5. Phones and allophones
 Phoneme: abstract unit or sound-type (“in the mind”), there are many different
versions of that sound-type regularly produced in actual speech (“in the
mouth”).
 What are the Phones? Phones are phonetic units and appear in square brackets.
 Allophones: When we have a set of phones, all of which are versions of one
phoneme, we add the prefix “allo-” (= one of a closely related set) and refer to
them as allophones of that phoneme.
 Example: [t] the [t] sound in the word tar is normally pronounced with a
stronger puff of air than is present in the [t] sound in the word star.
 Distinction between phonemes and allophone is that substituting one phoneme
for another will result in a word with a different meaning
 Substituting allophones results in diff difference in the pronunciation of /i/ in the
words seed and seen. In the second word, the effect of the nasal consonant [n]
] in a narrow
phonetic transcription. So, there are at least two phones,
], used to realize the single phoneme.
They are both allophones of /i/ in English.

6. Minimal pairs and sets
 What is a minimal pair? Are two words that are identical in form except for a
contrast in one phoneme, occurring in the same position.
 Examples: fan–van, bet–bat, site–side
 Minimal pairs have traditionally been used in the teaching and testing of
English as a second or foreign language to help students develop the ability to
understand the contrast in meaning based on the minimal sound contrast.
 Minimal Set: When a group of words can be differentiated, each one from the
others, by changing one phoneme (always in the same position in the word),
 Example : feat, fit, fat, fate, fought, foot, (based on the vowel)
big, pig, rig, fig, dig, wig.(based on consonant)
 Coarticulation: The process of
making one sound almost at the
same time as the next sound.

7. Phonotactics
 This type of exercise involving minimal sets also
allows us to see that there are definite patterns in
the types of sound combinations permitted in a
language.
 In other words, Phonotactics
are the rules govern the
combinations and ordering
of phonemes in a syllable.

8. Syllables
 A syllable must contain a vowel or vowel-like
sound, including diphthongs.
 There are some basic internal segmental structure as
follows
 Onset
 Nucleus
 Coda

9.  Syllables like me, to or no have an onset and a
nucleus, but no coda. They are known as open syllables.
When a coda is present, as in the syllables up, cup, at or
hat, they are called closed syllables.
 The basic structure of the kind of syllable found in
English words like green (CCVC), eggs (VCC), and
(VCC), ham (CVC), I (V), do (CV), not (CVC), like
(CVC), them (CVC), Sam (CVC), am (VC) is shown in
the accom- panying diagram.

10. Consonant clusters
 In English the number of consonants in sequence could be 3
maximum in initial position and up to 4 in the final one and can of
course occur in the median position.
 (C)+(C)+ (C) - V - (C)+(C)+(C)+(C)
 The combination /st/ is a
consonant cluster (CC) used as
onset in the first consonant must
always be /s/, followed by one of
the voiceless stops (/p/, /t/, /k/)
and a liquid or glide (/l/, /r/,/w/).
You can check if this description is
adequate for the combinations in
splash, spring, strong, scream and square.

11. Coarticulation effects
 The process of making one sound almost at the same
time as the next sound is called coarticulation.
 There are two well-known
coarticulation effects, described
as assimilation and elision.

12. Assimilation
 When two sound segments occur in sequence and some
aspect of one segment is taken or “copied” by the
other, the process is known as assimilation.
 Vowels are also subject to assimilation.
 can /kæn/
 I can go /aɪkəŋɡoʊ/
 and /ən/
 you and me /juənmi/

13. Elision
 Elision is the omission of one or more sounds (such as
a vowel, a consonant, or a whole syllable) in a word or
phrase, producing a result that is easier for the speaker
to pronounce.
friendship /frɛnʃɪp/
In consonant clusters
aspects /æspɛks/
he must be /himəsbi/
Vowels also disappear
every /ɛvri/
interest /ɪntrɪst/
camera /kæmrə/

14. Conclusion
 In a sense, every individual has a physically different
vocal tract.
 Consequently, in purely physical terms, every individual
will pronounce sounds differently.
 Finally, there are, potentially millions of physically
different ways of saying a simple word.