Scribd
Upload
100 views5 pages

Today's Sub-Topics:: I Still Owe You The Assignments

The document provides information about topics for an upcoming midterm exam, including homonymy, homophony, homography, phonotactics, and stress vs. syllable timing in languages. It also gives examples of problems that will be on the exam involving identifying degrees of difficulty of pronunciation for words. The document notes that the word "shrimps" would be the most difficult for learners of English to pronounce due to its initial and final consonant clusters.

Uploaded by

Onky Muhammad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
100 views5 pages

Today's Sub-Topics:: I Still Owe You The Assignments

The document provides information about topics for an upcoming midterm exam, including homonymy, homophony, homography, phonotactics, and stress vs. syllable timing in languages. It also gives examples of problems that will be on the exam involving identifying degrees of difficulty of pronunciation for words. The document notes that the word "shrimps" would be the most difficult for learners of English to pronounce due to its initial and final consonant clusters.

Uploaded by

Onky Muhammad
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

Day 6

I still owe you the assignments

Today’s Sub-topics:
• Homonymy, homophony, homography
• Phonotactics (syllable structuring)

Back to previous lecture notes:


• Minimal pairs
• Suprasegmental features: pitch. Length, stress, juncture

Next Week: MIDTERM EXAM (in-class open-book test)


A. Multiple choice problems

B. Phonology problems / learning problems:


1. show – see – shrimps
2. bad – bill – bait
Identifying degrees of difficulty
1. see → show → shrimps
2. bill → bait → bad

Explaining why shrimps are bad are the most difficult


shrimps [  r  m p s ]
Explanation: The word-initial cluster [  r ] is difficult to pronounce; and
the word-final cluster [ m p s ] makes it more difficult.

bad [ b  d ]
Explanation: The vowel [  ] is difficult to pronounce; and word-final
[d], which remains [d] in English, is also difficult.

Probably elementary Indonesian learners pronounce bad as [ b  t ]

Homonymy, Homophony, and Homography


Homonyms—spelled the same, pronounced the same, having
different meanings
• The bank is located near the river bank
• The bear cannot bear the heat
• Singapore is a fine city

Homophones—spelled differently, pronounced the same, having


different meanings – owing to the “bad spelling”
• The idle boys adore their idol
• From the third floor of Building C you can see the sea from here.
• Is it right that Mr. Wright is often asked to write a song for the rite?

Homographs—spelled the same, pronounced differently, having


different meanings
• The wind blows strongly where the two rivers wind their ways to
the sea.
• Sometimes she tears the letters with tears on her eyes

RHYTHMIC PATTERNS:
syllable-timed LG vs. stress-timed LG—or …
[da da da da] LG vs. [de da de da] LG.

Indonesian English
Syllable-timed LG Stress-timed LG
Kar Ken
Karno Kenny
Karnoto Kennedy

• syllable-timed lg = the timing of pronouncing words / phrases /


sentences is based on the number of syllables
• stress-timed lg = the timing of pronouncing words / phrases /
sentences is based on the stress pattern

This morning I talked to Ken / Kenny / Kennedy.

Do you know Fred?


Freddy?
Frederick?

Dia guru
Dia guru bahasa Inggris
Dia guru bahasa Inggris yang baik

She is a teacher
She is an English teacher
She is a good English teacher

English Phonotactics

Q: What is phonotactics?
A: It is a sub-field of phonology which deals with rules of syllable
structuring. Note that phonotactic rules are often LG-specific.
Words Status Example of

blind a real English word -

blick Nonsense, but obeys English Accidental Gap (in


phonotactics English)

Merambu, Nonsense, but obeys Accidental Gap (in


meringga Indonesian phonotactics Indonesian)

*bnick nonsense, and stand against Systematic Gap (in


English phonotactics English)

Do you know him?

Exercise – identifying examples of Accidental vs. Systematic Gaps


brean + mbeak - stlower -
gnoff - dloan - freach +
sockle + frubjuous + ndeach -
ngroom - plint + jrink -
shribe + calooh + feshtoon +
drig + sreem - broon +

Accidental Gap vs. Systematic Gap


• Accidental Gaps refer to nonsense words observing / obeying the
phonotatic rules of English, e.g., brean, sockle, shribe, plint. (Phonotactics =
rules of syllable structuring). They are potentially English words.

• Systematic Gaps refer to nonsense words violating the phonotatic rules of


English, e.g., ngroom, mbeak, sreen, stlower. They have NO potential to
become English words.

‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves … (see p. 38)


Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgrabe

Briga saatnya dan walutaba salinda … (Translation)


Menggrias dan menggulas dalam wabas
Sunguh menca puara baragoba
Dan reta-reta yang mumba menggerabas
Practical Value of Phonotactics for Daily LG Use:

Phonotactics is most useful for creating acronyms. That is, when


acronyms observe the rules of phonotactics, they sound natural in a
given LG. In English nearly all acronyms observe the phonotactic
rules, e.g., UNESCO, laser, radar, mouse (= manually operated user
selection equipment)

Cf. a good trans-creation:


ATM = automated teller machine → ATM = anjungan tunai mandiri

When the existing words are taken up and made into acronyms, the
results are called backcronyms, e.g., NICE (New Intensive Course
of English), HELP (Hawaii English Lg Program), MADD (Mothers
Against Drunk Drivers).

In Indonesian, we have BENDERA (Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat),


GRANAT (Gerakan Anti Narkoba dan Obat Terlarang).
==========
Notes that some acronyms in Indonesian violate phonotactic rules,
producing bad-sounding words, such as DEPDIKBUD or MENKEU.

MENKEU vs. MENDAGRI


The first acronym sounds bad to us Indonesian speakers, whereas
the second sounds good.

Q: Why?
A: Because the first acronym, but not the second, stands against the
phonotactic rules of Indonesian.

SUTARI – MAHDI – BAKIR – MANURUNG

You might also like