BM3 Introduction to English Linguistics Part II Session 4: (Lexical) Semantics Phonology

REBECCA CARROLL Contact options: A mail box across the hall (A10) phone All information can be found on my homepage:

Overview: Where are we? Phonetics/ Phonology Morphology Syntax Semantics Pragmatics Applied Linguistics (Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Textlinguistics, Psycholinguistics, Neurolinguistics, Computational Linguistics, …)

Phonology ctd. stress weak forms connected speech

Literature Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., Hyams, N. (2006). An Introduction to Language. 8th ed. Wadsworth. Handke, J. (2001). The Mouton Interactive Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology. CD ROM. DeGruyter. Handke, J. & Intemann, F. (2000). The Interactive Introduction to Linguistics. CD ROM. Version 2.0. München: Hueber. See Handapparat for further introductory books

IPA Font Download fonts to use for transcription in portfolio:  Doulos SIL Font: –Download/ install to your fonts folder –Choose font in your text document –Insert symbols (or define a key combination as short cut)

Connected Speech Pronunciation of individual words changes in context Depending on the sentence stress, some words are „weakened“ (so-called weak forms) Assimilation, elision & linking of sounds (at word boundaries)

Stressed out about stress? Stressed = more „effort“ (amplitude, pitch, length) perception: relatively greater prominence change in stress = change in vowel quality (?) Compare: Canada / ˈ kænə ˌ d ɑː / to /kə ˈ n ɑˌ d ɑː / to / ˌ kænə ˈ d ɑː /

Stressed out about stress? primary stress: / ˈ / as in /ə ˈ ba ʊ t/, / ˈ be ɪ.s ɪ k/, /bə ˈ næ.n ɑ / secondary stress: / ˌ / as in / ˌ l ɪ ŋ ˈɡ w ɪ s.t ɪ ks/, / ˈ a ɪ s ˌ k ɹ i ː m/ vs. / ˌ a ɪˈ sk ɹ i ː m/ ‿

Weak Forms Appear in unstressed (monosyllabic?) words Often function words and pronouns Vowel reduced to more central tongue position: /ə/ and / ɪ / Compare list of BE and AE weak forms

Assimilation „A phonological process whereby a sound becomes phonetically similar to a neigh- boring sound.[…]“ Finegan (1999), p.586 e.g. don‘t be silly (BE) / ˌ də ʊ nt b ɪ ˈ s ɪ li/  / ˌ də ʊ m b ɪ ˈ s ɪ li/ e.g. horseshoe (AE) / ˈ h ɔɹ z ˌʃ u ː /  / ˈ h ɔɹ s ˌʃ u ː /  / ˈ h ɔɹ ‿ ˌʃ u ː / Other examples {in-}  im-perfect; il-legal

Linking Absence of a „gap“ between words  Resyllabification These are old eggs –/ ˈ ði ː z ɑɹ ˌ o ʊ ld ˈ egz/  / ˈ ði ː ‿ z ɑ ‿ ˌɹ o ʊ l ‿ˈ degz/ Linking R (BE): a postvocalic /r/ that would normally not be pronounced in non-rhotic varieties is pronounced when it occurs between two vowels: /h ɪ ə ‿ɹ‿ ən ‿ ð ɛː / (intrusive R; BE: law and order / ˈ l ɔː‿ɹ‿ ən ‿ˈ d ɔː də/ )

Elision (Deletion) Sometimes sounds are elided in fast speech when they stand in a line of similar/ very different sounds (easier to pronounce) Occurs at word & morpheme boundaries Dental plosives are at risk So are weak vowels (schwa dropping) button / ˈ b ʌ tən/  / ˈ b ʌ tn ̩ / /n ̩ / = syllabic /n/ Nasals, laterals can be syllabic

The North Wind & the Sun ðə ˈ n ɔɹ θ ˌ w ɪ nd ən ə ˈ s ʌ n w ɚ d ɪ s ˈ pju ɾɪ ŋ ˈ w ɪ t ʃ wəz ðə ˈ st ɹɑː ŋg ɚ, w ɛ n ə ˈ t ɹ ævl ɚ ˌ ke ɪ m ə ˈ l ɑː ŋ ˈɹ æpt ɪ n ə ˈ w ɔɹ m ˈ klo ʊ k. ˌ ðe ɪ ə ˈ g ɹ i ː d ðət ðə ˈ w ʌ n hu ˈ f ɚ st sək ˈ si ː dəd ɪ n ˈ me ɪ k ɪ ŋ ðə ˈ t ɹ ævl ɚ ˈ te ɪ k ɪ z ˈ klo ʊ k ˌɑ f ʃʊ d bi kən ˈ s ɪ d ɚ d ˈ st ɹɑː ŋg ɚ ðən ð ɪ ˈʌ ð ɚ. ð ɛ n ðə ˈ n ɔɹ θ ˌ w ɪ nd ˈ blu ː əz ˈ h ɑɹ d əz hi ˈ k ʊ d, bət ðə ˈ m ɔɹ hi ˈ blu ː ðə ˈ m ɔɹ ˈ klo ʊ sli d ɪ d ðə ˈ t ɹ ævl ɚ ˈ fo ʊ ld h ɪ z ˈ klo ʊ k ə ˈɹ a ʊ nd ɪ m; ˌ æn ət ˈ læst ðə ˈ n ɔɹ θ ˌ w ɪ nd ˌ ge ɪ v ˈʌ p ði ə ˈ t ɛ mpt. ˈ ð ɛ n ðə ˈ s ʌ n ˈʃ a ɪ nd ˌ a ʊ t ˈ w ɔɹ mli ənd ɪˈ mi ː diətli ðə ˈ t ɹ ævl ɚ ˈ t ʊ k ˌɑ f ɪ z klo ʊ k. ən ˈ so ðə ˈ n ɔɹ θ ˌ w ɪ nd wəz ə ˈ bla ɪ d ʒ t ɪ kən ˈ f ɛ s ðət ðə ˈ s ʌ n wəz ðə ˈ st ɹɑ ŋg ɚ əv ðə ˈ tu ː.

The North Wind & the Sun The North Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger, when a traveler came along wrapped in a warm cloak. They agreed that the one who first succeeded in making the traveler take his cloak off should be considered stronger than the other. Then the North Wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew the more closely did the traveler fold his cloak around him; and at last the North Wind gave up the attempt. Then the Sun shined out warmly, and immediately the traveler took off his cloak. And so the North Wind was obliged to confess that the Sun was the stronger of the two.

Identify the weak forms Identify (possible) positions for assimilation and elision Identify (possible) linking The North Wind & the Sun

ðə ˈ n ɔɹ θ ˌ w ɪ nd ən ə ˈ s ʌ n w ɚ d ɪ s ˈ pju ɾɪ ŋ ˈ w ɪ t ʃ wəz ðə ˈ st ɹɑː ŋg ɚ, w ɛ n ə ˈ t ɹ ævl ɚ ˌ ke ɪ m ə ˈ l ɑː ŋ ˈɹ æpt ɪ n ə ˈ w ɔɹ m ˈ klo ʊ k. ˌ ðe ɪ ə ˈ g ɹ i ː d ðət ðə ˈ w ʌ n hu ˈ f ɚ st sək ˈ si ː dəd ɪ n ˈ me ɪ k ɪ ŋ ðə ˈ t ɹ ævl ɚ ˈ te ɪ k ɪ z ˈ klo ʊ k ˌɑ f ʃʊ d bi kən ˈ s ɪ d ɚ d ˈ st ɹɑː ŋg ɚ ðən ð ɪ ˈʌ ð ɚ. ˌ ð ɛ n ðə ˈ n ɔɹ θ ˌ w ɪ nd ˈ blu ː əz ˈ h ɑɹ d əz hi ˈ k ʊ d, bət ðə ˈ m ɔɹ hi ˈ blu ː ðə ˈ m ɔɹ ˈ klo ʊ sli d ɪ d ðə ˈ t ɹ ævl ɚ ˈ fo ʊ ld h ɪ z ˈ klo ʊ k ə ˈɹ a ʊ nd ɪ m; ˌ æn ət ˈ læst ðə ˈ n ɔɹ θ ˌ w ɪ nd ˌ ge ɪ v ˈʌ p ði ə ˈ t ɛ mpt. ˈ ð ɛ n ðə ˈ s ʌ n ˈʃ a ɪ nd ˌ a ʊ t ˈ w ɔɹ mli ənd ɪˈ mi ː diətli ðə ˈ t ɹ ævl ɚ ˈ t ʊ k ˌɑ f ɪ z klo ʊ k. ən ˈ so ðə ˈ n ɔɹ θ ˌ w ɪ nd wəz ə ˈ bla ɪ d ʒ t ɪ kən ˈ f ɛ s ðət ðə ˈ s ʌ n wəz ðə ˈ st ɹɑ ŋg ɚ əv ðə ˈ tu ː. ‿ ‿ ‿‿ ‿ ‿ ‿‿ ‿ ‿

Questions ??? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Lexical Semantics semantic features semantic relations synonymy

Semantic Features Semantic Primitives husband mother girl [+ human] [+ human] [+ human] [+ adult] [+ adult] [- adult] [+ married] [± married] [- married] [± …] [± …] [± …]

What are the distinctive semantic features in (a) vs. (b)? A A(a) bachelor, man, son, paperboy, pope, chief (b) bull, rooster, drake, ram B B(a) table, stone, pencil, cup, house, ship, car (b) milk, alcohol, rice, soup, mud C(a) book, temple, mountain, road, tractor (b) idea, love, charity, sincerity, bravery, fear D D (a) pine, elm, ash, weeping willow, sycamore (b) rose, dandelion, aster, tulip, daisy

What are the distinctive semantic features in (a) vs. (b)? E E(a) book, letter, encyclopedia, novel, notebook, dictionary (b) typewriter, pencil, pen, crayon, quill, charcoal, chalk F F(a) walk, run, skip, jump, hop, swim (b) fly, skate, ski, ride, cycle, canoe, hang- glide G G(a) ask, tell, say, talk, converse (b) shout, whisper, mutter, drawl, holler

Semantic Relations Coordination –Conjuncts –Antonyms Homonymy (Homophones, Homographs) Polysemy Hyponymy –Hyponyms –Hyperonyms –Co-hyponyms Synonymy (hungry ≈ starved; couch ≈ sofa)

Coordination saltpepper mustardconjuncts leftright hot cold poorrich parentchild antonyms

Antonyms Complementary dead - alive left – right Gradable hot – cold large – small Relational parent – child employer – employee

Hyponymy Hyperonym Hyponym Hyperonym Hyponym

Are the following pairs complementary, gradable, or relational opposites? goodbad expensive cheap parent offspring beautifulugly falsetrue lessor lessee pass fail hotcold legalillegal largersmaller poorrich fastslow asleepawake husbandwife rudepolite

Explain the semantic ambiguity by paraphrasing the following sentences: a.He waited by the bank. b.Is he really that kind? c.The proprietor of the fish store was the sole owner. d.The long drill was boring. e.When he got the clear title to the land, it was a good deed. f.It takes a good ruler to make a straight line. g.He saw that gasoline can explode. h.You should see her shop. i.Every man loves a woman. aEvery can bank kind drill deed ruler shop that sole aEvery