Phonology Problem: Tagalog [k] and [x] PDF

Phonology Problem: Tagalog [k] and [x] [k] [x] ʌ_# ʌ_ɔ #_ʌ i:_ʌ s_ɔ ʌ_ʌ ʌ_l a:_ɪ #_w ʊ_ʌ #_o ʊ_ʌ Let’s be more precise about describing the allophones’ environments. The elsewhere one occurs in more and more varied environments. Which one is it? Elsewhere allophone: [k] In contrast, [x]...

Phonology Problem: Tagalog [k] and [x] [k] [x] ʌ_# ʌ_ɔ #_ʌ i:_ʌ s_ɔ ʌ_ʌ ʌ_l a:_ɪ #_w ʊ_ʌ #_o ʊ_ʌ Let’s be more precise about describing the allophones’ environments. The elsewhere one occurs in more and more varied environments. Which one is it? Elsewhere allophone: [k] In contrast, [x] only occurs between two vowels. We can now write a rule to capture this info: /k/ becomes [x] when it occurs between two vowels What if we try to write a rule where /x/ becomes [k]? There is no natural class of features to describe the environment of [k], and the rule will be difficult to write. 18 PHONOLOGICAL RULES We’ll refer to statements like the one on the previous slide as phonological rules. — Remember that much of a speaker’s knowledge of their language is unconscious. — When we solve a problem like this one, we are uncovering a piece of that unconscious knowledge. — Tagalog speakers know when to use [k] and when to use [x]; we are just stating, explicitly, the rule that they (unconsciously) know and follow. 19 Writing Phonological Rules When we write a rule that tells us where we find allophones of a phoneme, it looks like: _________ becomes __________ when __________ (phoneme) (allophone) (environment) Tagalog example: a. /k/ becomes [x] when it appears between two vowels b. /k/ becomes [k] elsewhere Note: You do not need to write the elsewhere rule when you solve problems (it is assumed), but you do need to figure out what the base form is. DISTINCTIVE AND NONDISTINCTIVE FEATURES Let’s go back to the data from Hindi: [kap] [kaph] cup phlegm [phəl] [pəl] fruit moment — What feature separates [p] and [ph]? — In Hindi, does changing this feature trigger a change in meaning? — This means aspiration is a distinctive feature in Hindi, a feature so important that it distinguishes one phoneme from another. 21 21 DISTINCTIVE AND NONDISTINCTIVE FEATURES Is this feature as important in English as it is in Hindi? Do we use aspiration to distinguish one phoneme from another? — If not, it is a nondistinctive feature in English. — Nondistinctive features do not distinguish one phoneme from another. — Instead, they distinguish the various allophones of a single phoneme from one another. — Nondistinctive features are the ones that are predictable. 22 22