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A phonological rule which
inserts a glottal stop before a word-initial vowel.
INDEX |
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Michael Ashby & John Maidment
Introducing Phonetic Science
Chapter 9: Basic phonological
concepts
Chapter Summary
Contrast is the use of phonetic differences to signal the
distinction between words. A pair of distinct words which differ only in one
segment is a minimal pair. Two sounds which cannot mark a contrast between
words may be allophones of the same basic unit (members of the same phoneme)
especially if each has its own specific environments, meaning that the two
are in complementary distribution. The aim of phonology is not only to
establish the set of phonemes in a language, but also the patterning of
these sounds, both dynamic and static. Patterns of changes in the
pronunciation of words (alternations) often result from the operation of
phonological processes, the same general types of process being found widely
in languages. Phonological patterning can be described formally by
specifying sounds (eg with rigorously defined features) and then writing
rules which alter sound specifications. The internal or mental
representation of a word (the underlying form) can be different from the
observable (surface) form. The phonological syllable is a structure which
specifies how sounds of different types can be combined. The rules for
combinations (phonotactics) are different in different languages.
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