LING 101 Lecture outline W Feb 7 Today s topic: Working with phonological rules, natural classes

Transcription

1 LING 101 Lecture outline W Feb 7 Today s topic: Working with phonological rules, natural classes Background preparation: Extra practice handout Greek data set 1

2 0. Course information Exam #1 in class on Monday (Feb 12) - A study guide is now available - You will have a chance to ask questions and review material in recitation on Friday - Students with accommodations: Remember to register with ARS by today Please note that there is a reading assignment due next Wednesday, for our first lecture after the exam 2

3 1. Review: Solving phonology problems Are two sounds allophones of one phoneme, or do they belong to separate phonemes? What steps do we follow in this type of phonological analysis? 3

4 1. Review: Solving phonology problems Are two sounds allophones of one phoneme, or do they belong to separate phonemes? Step 1. Are there any minimal pairs? Step 2. Are the sounds environments overlapping or non-overlapping? Step 3. If the sounds are allophones of one phoneme, describe the environments where each occurs. Step 4. If the sounds are allophones of one phoneme, write a phonological rule. 4

5 2. Solving phonology problems concepts If the environments of two segments are nonoverlapping, which do we conclude? - Do the segments belong to separate phonemes? - Are the segments allophones of the same phoneme? 5

6 2. Solving phonology problems concepts If the environments of two segments are nonoverlapping, which do we conclude? - Do the segments belong to separate phonemes? - Are the segments allophones of the same phoneme? Hint: If we have a minimal pair... - Do we have evidence for separate phonemes? - Are the environments of the sounds in question overlapping or non-overlapping? 6

7 2. Solving phonology problems concepts A point to note about stating distinct environments for allophones 1 and 2: To be able to state 1 occurs in environment X... - Environment X must always be true for 1 - Environment X must never be true for 2 If these conditions are not met, then the environment you have stated is not the crucial factor that determines when allophones 1 and 2 appear 7

8 3. Reminder: Rule notation Here is how we express phonological rules in our model of mental grammar: A B / X Y A B The sound(s) affected by the rule The property(ies) that the rule changes / In the environment of X Y Where the affected sound(s) are located with respect to the context Preceding context, if any Following context, if any Always state A, B, X, Y in terms of properties 8

9 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 Do [ i ] and [ i ] belong to separate phonemes, or are they allophones of the same phoneme? Note: [ ] indicates that a sound is voiceless What do we need to check? 9

10 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 Step 1: Are there any minimal pairs? 10

11 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 Step 2: Are the sounds environments overlapping or non-overlapping? [ i ] [ i ] a) p san f) kamwɔki t # d) k sa i) pok # f) kamwɔk ti j) p l k) ap d 11

12 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 Step 3: If the sounds are allophones of one phoneme, describe the environments where each occurs. - There are (at least) two plausible ways to do this here - How do we choose which approach to take? Which proposal is more general? Which proposal is more insightful? 12

13 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 Which proposal is more general? - In particular, which proposal allows us to specify less information? - As scientists, we want to make the most general proposal possible that is still consistent with the data we have - Why? Because the more general our hypothesis is, the better chance it has to explain additional patterns or phenomena 13

14 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 Which proposal is more insightful? - That is, which proposal seems to give a deeper understanding of what is happening in the language? Which proposal makes connections to bigger ideas? - We will return to this question again after we have looked at the rest of the Mokilese data 14

15 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 Step 4: If the sounds are allophones of one phoneme, write a phonological rule. - The rule needs to have this format: A B / X Y 15

16 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 The rule needs to have this format: A B / X Y - Writing down the sound symbols in rule format is a good first step - But, always remember to give the final version of the rule in terms of sound properties We will see very soon why this is important! 16

17 4. Mokilese problem, part 1 The rule needs to have this format: A B / X Y - For A, X, and Y, specify only as many properties as you need to uniquely identify this sound (or set of sounds) - For B, specify only the property (or properties) that are being changed by the rule Do not repeat properties that are unchanged after the arrow! 17

18 5. Mokilese problem, part 2 Do [ u ] and [ u ] belong to separate phonemes, or are they allophones of the same phoneme? Step 1: Are there any minimal pairs? 18

19 5. Mokilese problem Step 2: Are the sounds environments overlapping or non-overlapping? [ u ] [ u ] b) t pu kta g) # duk b) tu p kta g) ud k c) p ko l) l ʤuk e) s pwo l) luʤ k 19

20 5. Mokilese problem, part 2 Step 3: If the sounds are allophones of one phoneme, describe the environments where each occurs. - Once again, there are (at least) two plausible ways to do this - Which proposal should we choose? 20

21 5. Mokilese problem, part 2 Step 4: If the sounds are allophones of one phoneme, write a phonological rule. Remember: - A B / X Y - Sound properties 21

22 6. Mokilese problem, part 3 Consider the two rules we have just written. Is anything more general going on here? - Do the sounds that are affected by the rules have anything in common? - Do the two rules apply in the same environment? 22

23 6. Mokilese problem, part 3 Do the sounds that are affected by the rules have anything in common? - Stating our rules in terms of sound properties allows us to see that they do! 23

24 6. Mokilese problem, part 3 Do the two rules apply in the same environment? This is an interesting question... For each rule taken individually, there were two ways of looking at the crucial environment But if we want to unify the two rules as a single general rule, there is only one way to state the environment that works for this - We are choosing the slightly less general way of stating the environment in each case - But this allows a deeper insight into what is really going on 24

25 7. Phonological rules and sound properties We have proposed that what the mental grammar refers to is not segments, but properties - All phonological rules should be written using properties, even when they only affect one sound One reason for this: - Writing rules in terms of properties allows us to discover more general rules that apply to whole classes of sounds 25

26 7. Phonological rules and sound properties Another reason: - Rules don t just arbitrarily delete one sound and replace it with some other random sound - Instead, a rule makes some kind of adjustment to the sound How do we know? - Rules that do things like this are common: [p] [b] /... (minor adjustment) - Rules that do this are essentially nonexistent: [m] [s] /... (complete change to new sound) 26

27 8. Greek problem: How many phonemes? (If there is time...) What is the distribution of the four sounds of interest in this data set? [k]...? [c] voiceless palatal oral stop [ç] voiceless palatal oral fricative [x] voiceless velar oral fricative 27

28 9. Summary: Rules and natural classes Stating rules in terms of properties: - highlights what actual changes are occurring - helps us identify cases where one general rule is at work Always be as general as possible when you state the properties of a sound or sound class - This most effectively emphasizes what s important about a pattern - This makes it easier to find generalizations 28

29 9. Summary: Rules and natural classes Properties to use for stating natural classes C properties: - voicing, oral/nasal, place, (lateral/retroflex), constriction type V properties: - height, backness, rounding, tense/lax - (when relevant) voicing, oral/nasal Other useful properties (see CL, Ch 3): - vowel vs. consonant - obstruent vs. sonorant - strident vs. non-strident 29