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Minimal Pairs

This document discusses minimal pairs, which are pairs of words that differ by only one phoneme. A phoneme is a set of phones that are allophones of each other. Allophones are different realizations of the same phoneme. Minimal pairs help identify phonemes in a language. The document provides examples of English minimal pairs that contrast different consonants in initial and final positions. It also has an exercise identifying minimal pairs in words and illustrating phonemic contrasts with minimal pairs.

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379 views12 pages

Minimal Pairs

This document discusses minimal pairs, which are pairs of words that differ by only one phoneme. A phoneme is a set of phones that are allophones of each other. Allophones are different realizations of the same phoneme. Minimal pairs help identify phonemes in a language. The document provides examples of English minimal pairs that contrast different consonants in initial and final positions. It also has an exercise identifying minimal pairs in words and illustrating phonemic contrasts with minimal pairs.

Uploaded by

nonieknew
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MINIMAL PAIRS

PHONE [ ]: A single sound made in speaking


CONSONANT VOWEL

PHONEME // : A group of phone-types which are phonetically similar and either in complementary distribution or in free variation (Francis, 1958: 176)

ALLOPHONES: different phone types that make up a phoneme (THAT belong to a phoneme) (Francis, 1958: 122)

Free variation : when two or more phones or phonemes can occur in the same position in a word without changing the meaning : /i:/ and /e/ in the pronunciations of economics: /i:kcn]mwks/ vs. /ekcn]mwks/; /e/ and /e/ in the pronunciations of again / en/ vs. /ein/ Complementary distribution: allophones which never occur in the same context, i.e. in the one context one allophone occurs and in another the other one occurs : pill [ph] - spill [p]

MINIMAL PAIR:
A minimal pair is a pair of words with ONE phonemic difference only ( two words that differ in only one sound.): beat /bi:t/ vs. feet /fi:t/ bit beat; pain gain; hit hip

Identifying minimal pairs


Words cat /kt / wide /wad/ kite /kat/ Maid /med/ wise /waz/ base /bes/ bat /bt / wise /waz/ Night /nat / Made /med/ Rice /ras/ Phase /fez/ Minimal Pair? yes yes yes no no no Reason only /k/ and /b/ are different only /d/ and /z/ are different only /k/ and /n/ are different The two words are the same exactly. There are TWO differences in these words There are TWO differences in these words

Making minimal pairs is a method that can be used to work out whether two different sounds in a certain language are allophones or different phonemes

identifying

Illustrate the English phonemic contrasts at the left with minimal pairs, one exhibiting the contrast in initial position and the other in final position, if possible

/p, b/ /t, d/ /k, g/ /f, v/ /s, z/ /m, n/ /p, f/ /d, z/ /h, w/

initial position pie, buy

final position rope, robe

talk chalk - /t/ vs. voiceless affricate top chop Tin chin tease cheese silly chilly - /s/ vs. voiceless affricate search church soak choke sat chat late lace - stops vs. palatal fricative and affricates road rose mat match

| tp tp | tn tn | tiz tiz | sli tli | st tt | sk tk | st tt | let les | rd rz | mt mt |

deer tear- voiced vs. voiceless alveolar stops dent> tent | dent tent

voiced vs. voiceless affricates dn tn | gin chin voiceless velar stops vs. alveolar stops car tar cap tap key tea call tall corn torn

k t kp tp < |kiti kl|tl| kntn |

voiced velar vs. voiced alveolar stops |ez| dez| gaze daze (days) |d| go doe (dough) rp|drp| grip drip a|da| gate date |et det| | a da Guy die (dye)

/k/ vs. /g/ cap gap

Kp p< |

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