Phonology: Streamlined phonetic transcription LING 400 Jan. 19, 2010 Prof. Hargus

Overview Broad vs. narrow phonetic transcription Predicting phonetic detail Phonology turn cell phones off please

Broad vs. narrow transcription Phonetic transcription can have more or less detail Aspiration in English –Relatively more detail: narrow transcription e.g. [p h ɑɪ ] pie –Relatively less detail: broad transcription e.g. [p ɑɪ ] pie When should [ h ] be included in a transcription of English?

Phonetics of aspiration pie always pronounced with aspiration –puff of air test Why then would aspiration never be transcribed?????????????????????

Predictable vs. unpredictable information Languages contain –Unpredictable information list represented in dictionary –Words I know: pie, spy, sip, crappy, etc. –Vowels of my language: [i], [ ɪ ], [e ɪ ], [ ɛ ], etc. –Predictable information X  Y/ A __ B represented in grammar “non-low back vowels are (usually) round” [p]  [p h ] / (to be specified)

Voiceless labial stops in English Words that contain voiceless labial stop –at beginning of a word: pie, pry, play, pew –after [s]: spy, spry, splay, spew –at end of word: sip, rap, crap –in middle of word following vowel stressed: support, U-Pick following vowel unstressed: happy

Transcription practice sippew spypie sprypry splayplay happysupport

[p] and [p h ] Abbreviations ___ = location of vowel or consonant # = edge of word V = vowel | = stress sip [s ɪ p] __#pie [p h ɑɪ ] #__V spy [sp ɑɪ ] s__play [p h le ɪ ] #__l spry [sp ɹɑɪ ] pew[p h ju]#__j splay [sple ɪ ] pry [p h ɹɑɪ ]#__ ɹ happy[ | hæpi]V__Vsupport [sə | p h ɔɹ t] V | __V [p] occurs in places where [p h ] does not

Distribution of voiceless labial stops in English All the places voiceless labial stops can occur in English #__l #__ V s__ V | __V __# V__V etc. [p] and [p h ] never occur in “the same place” [p] and [p h ] are “in complementary distribution”

Predicting aspiration [p h ] found in two places –#__ –V | __V  [p] is aspirated when word-initial or before a stressed vowel. Aspiration is predictable in English [p][p h ] sip [s ɪ p] __#pie [p h ɑɪ ] #__V spy [sp ɑɪ ] s__play [p h le ɪ ] #__l spry [sp ɹɑɪ ] pew[p h ju]#__j splay [sple ɪ ] pry [p h ɹɑɪ ]#__ ɹ happy[ | hæpi]V__Vsupport [sə | p h ɔɹ t] V | __V

Broad vs. narrow transcription Broad transcription represents only unpredictable information Transcriptions of pie –broad: [p ɑɪ ] –narrow: [p h ɑɪ ] (In real life, transcriptions are usually as broad as possible.)

Phonology More abstract phonetics Part of grammar that makes explicit rules for pronunciation Aspiration is a rule of English (not all languages) –Spanish tono ‘tone’, dono ‘I donate’ Transcriptions of pie –narrow: [p h ɑɪ ] –broad: [p ɑɪ ] or /p ɑɪ /

Levels of representation Phonetic representation [p h ɑɪ ] –directly observable –measurable properties –[ ] brackets, contains (allo)phones Phonemic representation /p ɑɪ / –inferred, not observed –abstract, streamlined representation –/ / brackets, contains phonemes Aspiration (phonological rule)

Inferring the phonemic representation How? Minimal pairs/sets  sounds in contrast Complementary distribution  sounds not in contrast

Minimal pair Two words differing in meaning and only one phonetic property –A minimal pair for voicing in English [ | k ɹ æbi] crabby vs. [ | k ɹ æpi] crappy therefore, /p b/ in English Phonetic difference between pair not due to context Minimal pairs contain phonemes –/ | k ɹ æbi/, / | k ɹ æpi/ A minimal set –/hid/, /h ɪ d/, /he ɪ d/, /h ɛ d/, /hæd/

Complementary distribution of sounds Predictable aspects of pronunciation can be due to –Influence of neighboring sound –Position within word

Another phonological rule of English Rounded [ ɹ w ] and unrounded [ ɹ ] are in complementary distribution. Decide which of these sounds is the phoneme and describe the distribution of the other in a phonological rule.

Distribution of sounds [ɹw][ɹw][ɹ][ɹ] g__ə ɔ __# f__ ʌ a ɪ __# t__ ɪɔ ___f ɪ __ ɪ u___# p___o ʊɪ ___# #___o ʊɑ ___# ɛ ___i ɛ ___ ɪ t___ ɛ b___i #___i ɪ ___ ɑ p___e ɪ #___æ k___u k___ ɪ d___ ɛ [ɹw][ɹw][ɹ][ɹ] preceded by followed by preceded by followed by {C,V,#}VV{#,C} Start by noting preceding and following sound or position. (‘#’ = edge of word.) Then generalize. [ ɹ w ] always precedes a vowel; [ ɹ ] always precedes consonant or word edge.

From distribution to rule “[ ɹ w ] always precedes a vowel; [ ɹ ] always precedes consonant or word edge.” Sound derived by rule occurs in more specific context –“vowel” more specific than “consonant or word edge” [ ɹ w ] therefore derived by rule –/ ɹ /  [ ɹ w ] / ___ V –phoneme occurs in more general context

Summary Different levels of detail can be shown in phonetic transcription Predictable phonetic information part of rule system, usually left out of phonetic transcription –primary evidence for rule system: complementary distribution of sounds Unpredictable phonetic information –primary evidence: minimal pairs or sets