Science of Language

CSCD-UE 110
CLASS ES 11-12: PHONOLOGY
Phonology
The sounds of a language
◦ Phonemes and allophones
◦ Phonemes - abstract (mental) representations of the sound units in a language
◦ Allophones - different sounds that get categorized as the same phoneme
Example dataset: Hindi aspiration
Data set:
◦ [pʰəl] ‘fruit’
◦ [kəl] ‘yesterday’
◦ [pəl] ‘moment’
◦ [kapi] ‘copy’
◦ [kʰəl] ‘wicked person’
◦ [kapʰi] ‘ample’

Are [p, k] and [ph, kh] distinct phonemes or are they allophones of
the same phoneme?
Example dataset: Hindi aspiration
Data set:
◦ [pʰəl] ‘fruit’ [pəl] ‘moment’

◦ [kʰəl] ‘wicked person’ [kəl] ‘yesterday’

◦ [kapʰi] ‘ample’ [kapi] ‘copy’

→ [p, k] and [ph, kh] are distinct phonemes.

English dataset: aspiration
o Pan [pʰæn]
o Span [spæn]
o Tone [tʰon]
o Stone [ston]
o Key [kʰi]
o Ski [ski]

Are [p, k, t] and [ph, kh, th] distinct phonemes or are they
allophones of the same phoneme?
English dataset: aspiration
o Pan [pʰæn] Span [spæn]

o Tone [tʰon] Stone [ston]

o Key [kʰi] Ski [ski]

→ [p, k, t] and [ph, kh, th] are allophones of the same

phoneme
Distinctive features
NATU RAL CL ASSES
Features: an introduction
If two sounds contrast phonemically, they must differ by one or more
distinctive features

We have talked about pairs of voiced and voiceless sounds, like /p/ and
/b/
◦ Produced with the vocal folds vibrating: [+voice]
◦ Produced without vocal folds vibration: [-voice]
◦ /p/ and /b/ contrast by a single distinctive feature, [voice].

Other features for consonants: place of articulation and manner of

articulation.
Features
Phonemes : “bundles” of distinctive features

Features are the building blocks of phonology

Can be combined in different ways to create the phonemes of a language

Typically binary:
◦ Either present ([+feature]) or
◦ Absent ([-feature]) in a given phoneme
◦ E.g., [ voice], [ round]
Features define natural classes
Sounds can be grouped into natural classes based on shared
distinctive features
Can reflect shared manner, voicing, place of articulation, or some
combination

Major class distinction: Vocalic vs. consonantal sounds

◦ [+vocalic] sounds produced with the vocal tract mostly open
◦ [+consonantal] sounds produced with the articulators blocking airflow (partly
or completely)
Natural classes for place
[labial]: Produced with one or both lips
◦ Bilabials, labio-dentals
[coronal]: Produced with the tip or blade of tongue
◦ Interdentals, alveolars, post-alveolars
[dorsal]: Produced with the back of the tongue
◦ Velars
Natural classes for place
P: [+consonantal] [+labial] [-voice] …
tʃ : [+consonantal] [+coronal] [-voice] …
ŋ: [+consonantal] [+dorsal] [+voice]…
Natural classes
[-sonorant] sounds are the obstruents: stops, fricatives, affricates

[+sonorant]: Vowels, glides, liquids, nasals

◦ Sonorants are vowels and vowel-like consonants.
◦ They are inherently voiced (no voiced-voiceless contrast) and involve smooth rather
than turbulent (noisy) airflow
Natural classes
P: [+consonantal, +labial, -voice, -sonorant, …]
tʃ: [+consonantal, +coronal, -voice, -sonorant …]
ŋ: [+consonantal, +dorsal, +voice, +sonorant …]
Natural classes
[+continuant]: Air can escape through the (center) of the oral cavity
◦ Fricatives, liquids, glides

[-continuant]:
◦ Stops, affricates, nasals
Natural classes
P: [+consonantal, +labial, -voice, -sonorant, -continuant, …]
tʃ: [+consonantal, +coronal, -voice, -sonorant, -continuant, …]
ŋ: [+consonantal, +dorsal, +voice, +sonorant, -continuant, …]
Consonant features we will care about
[ sonorant] [ nasal]
◦ +sonorant: nasals, liquids, glides ◦ +nasals: nasals
◦ -sonorant: stops, fricatives, affricates ◦ -nasals: everything else

[ continuant] [lateral]
◦ +continuant: fricatives, liquids, glides ◦ +lateral: the lateral (/l/)
◦ -continuant: stops, affricates, nasals ◦ -lateral: everything else

[ voice]
◦ +voice: all sonorants, voiced obstruents
◦ -voice: voiceless obstruents
What phoneme is it?
Phonemes can be depicted as matrices of distinctive features, as
seen below
Ok to omit redundant features (e.g., all vowels are voiced, so we
don’t include [+voice] for vowels)

A. /m/ +consonantal
B. /g/ -sonorant
C. /v/ +continuant
+voice
D. /b/
+labial
Natural classes
[-sonorant] sounds are the obstruents: stops, fricatives, affricates
Natural classes
[-sonorant] sounds are the obstruents: stops, fricatives, affricates
[+continuant]: Air can escape through the (center) of the oral cavity
◦ Fricatives, liquids, glides
Natural classes
[-sonorant] sounds are the obstruents: stops, fricatives, affricates
[+continuant]: Air can escape through the (center) of the oral cavity
◦ Fricatives, liquids, glides
[+voice]: vocal fold vibrating
Natural classes
[-sonorant] sounds are the obstruents: stops, fricatives, affricates
[+continuant]: Air can escape through the (center) of the oral cavity
◦ Fricatives, liquids, glides
[+voice]: vocal fold vibrating
[+labial]
What phoneme is it?
Phonemes can be depicted as matrices of distinctive features, as
seen below
Ok to omit redundant features (e.g., all vowels are voiced, so we
don’t include [+voice] for vowels)

A. /m/ +consonantal
B. /g/ -sonorant
C. /v/ +continuant
+voice
D. /b/
+labial
What phoneme is it?
+consonantal
-sonorant +consonantal
+sonorant
+continuant
-voice + nasal
+coronal
+coronal

A. /z/ A. /n/
B. /n/ B. /m/
C. /s/ C. /l/
D. /l/ D. /z/
Important features: Vowels
[-consonantal]
[high]
[ low]
[ back]
[ round]
 [-back] [+back]

[+round]

[+high, -low]

[-high, -low]

[-high, +low]
Some natural classes: vowels
High vowels
◦ [-consonantal, +high, -low]

Front vowels
◦ [-consonantal, -back]

Round vowels
◦ [-consonantal, +round]

Low front vowels

◦ [-consonantal, -back, +low, -high]
Examples
[±consonantal, ±high, ±low, ±back, ±round]

æ:
o:
u:
Examples
[±consonantal, ±high, ±low, ±back, ±round]

æ : [-consonantal, -high, +low, -back, -round]

o: [-consonantal, -high, -low, +back, +round]
u: [-consonantal, +high, -low, +back, +round]
What phoneme is it?
-consonantal
-back
+high
-round

A. /æ/
B. /i/
C. /u/
D. /e/
For quiz (these tables will be provided!)
Syllables
 Hierarchical organization
A syllable is a grouping of sound(s) composed of
◦ a central peak of sonority (usually a vowel) = NUCLEUS
◦ the consonants that lie on either side = ONSET or CODA
Phonological knowledge: Syllable shapes
Languages differ in what syllable shapes are permitted.

Hawaiian allows one onset consonant and no coda consonants (e.g., kalikimaka,
“Christmas”).
◦ CV syllables only

English allows up to three onset consonants and four coda consonants (e.g., sprints,
twelfths).
◦ Up to CCCV(C), (C)VCCCC

Polish allows up to four onset and five coda consonants (e.g., pstry “gaudy,” nastepstw
“consequences” (gen.pl.))
◦ Up to CCCCV(C), (C)VCCCCC
Phonological knowledge: Legal clusters
Languages also differ in which sounds can occur in consonant
clusters, and in what order
◦ Russian words can start with clusters like /mn/ and /stv/ that are not possible
in English.

Phonotactics ≡ Restrictions on possible phoneme sequences

Restrictions typically differ for onset versus coda sequences:
◦ Onset-only clusters: br-, tw-, kl-, str-, sl-, sn-...
◦ Coda-only clusters: -ld, -lf, -nd, -mp...
mid-semester informal course feedback
https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9nx9Zj26cvjqLBA