Phonology: Differences between languages LING 400 Winter 2010

Overview Phonological typology Phonological rules and foreign accents For further learning about sounds of spoken languages: LING 450 please turn off your cell phone

Phonological typology = Different types of phonological systems Variation in phoneme inventories Variation in phonological rules Variation in consonant, vowel sequences

Japanese vowels front unrndrnd back unrndrnd highi i: ɯ ɯ: mide e:o o: low ɑ ɑ:

Japanese vowel qualities [ki] ‘tree’ [ke] ‘hair’ [ka] ‘mosquito’ [ko] ‘child’ [k ɯ ] ‘phrase’ (Not transcribed: final predictable [ ʔ ]: 0  ʔ / V __ # ) Prof. Toshiyuki Ogihara, a native speaker from Tokyo

Liquids in Japanese One liquid phoneme, / ɾ / (apico-alveolar tap) Medial [i ɾ o] ‘color’ [kai ɾ j ɯ :] ‘ocean current’ Initial [ ɾ iŋgo] ‘apple’ [ ɾ jo:] ‘quantity’

Mandarin (Chinese) vowel inventory [y] = high front rounded vowel [ ɤ ] = mid back unrounded vowel front unrndrnd back unrndrnd highiyu mid ɤ low ɑ

Mandarin vowels [ ̂ ] = high falling tone frontback unrndrndunrndrnd high [l  î ] ‘advantage’ [ly ̂ ] ‘green’ [lû] ‘road’ mid [l ɤ̂ ] ‘happy’ low [lɑ̂] ‘spicy’ Chia-Hui Huang, Taiwanese and Mandarin speaker

Mandarin tones From state.edu/publications/files/lf10/lf10_sounds.html state.edu/publications/files/lf10/lf10_sounds.html male and female speakers

Korean vowels front unrnd central unrnd back rnd highi ɨ u mide ʌo low ɑ

Korean vowels front unrnd central unrnd back rnd high[pi] ‘rain’ [kɨ] ‘that’ [nuku] ‘who’ mid[e] ‘yes, your’ [nʌ] ‘you’[no] ‘oar’ low [nɑ] ‘I’ Sophie Ahn, from Pusan, but speaking here in Seoul (standard Korean) accent

Korean vowel length: prescriptive only modern historic [nun]‘eye’[nun]‘snow’[nu:n] [m ɑ l] ‘horse’ [m ɑ l] ‘word’ [m ɑ :l] [p ɑ l] ‘foot’ [p ɑ l] ‘blind’ [p ɑ :l]

Korean glides High vowels and glides: [u] : [w] :: [i] :: [j] Korean /w/  [ ɥ] / C ___ i [ɥ] = high front rounded glide  [ ø ̯ ] / C ___ e [ ø ̯] = mid front rounded glide [y] : [ ɥ ] :: [ø] : [ø ̯] [ø] = mid front rounded vowel [wi] ‘upper part; stomach’ [t ɥ i] ‘behind’ [weka] ‘maternal family, house’ [k’ø ̯ e] ‘idea, scheme; quite’

Korean consonants C’ = “tense” or “fortis” (small glottal opening) p p’ p h t t’ t h k k’ k h ts ts’ ts h s s’ h m n ŋ l w j

Korean tense consonants [pul] ‘fire’[t ɑ l] ‘moon’ [p’ul] ‘horn’[t’ ɑ l] ‘daughter’ [p h ul] ‘grass’[t h ɑ l] ‘face mask’ [ki] ‘flag’[s ɑ l] ‘flesh, skin’ [k’i] ‘meal’[s’ ɑ l] ‘raw rice’ [k h i] ‘height’ /s/ = [s h ]

Liquids in Korean Like Japanese, one liquid phoneme /l/  [ ɺ ] / ___ V [ ɺ ] = alveolar lateral or retroflex flap Rule does not apply to /l:/ (long [l]).

Korean liquids [ ɺ ] [l] [u ɺ i] ‘we’ [mul] ‘water’ [k ɑ ɺ u] ‘powder’ [ilkop] ‘seven’ [ ɺ upi] ‘ruby’ [l:] [tal:e] ‘wild garlic’ /l/  [ ɺ ] / ___ V (does not apply to long /ll/)

Foreign accents and borrowed words Foreign accents much < learner’s phonology especially if language learned as adult Borrowed words codified foreign accent: borrowed words pronounced according to phonology of borrowing language

The original shibboleth Judges 12:5-6

Spanish consonants p b t d k g ʧ f s x m n ɲ l w ɾ j Notice: no /h/ /x/ = voiceless velar fricative

Spanish rhotics [ ɾ ] = alveolar tap [p ɑɾɑ ] ‘for’ [r] = alveolar trill = / ɾɾ / [p ɑ r ɑ ] /pa ɾɾɑ / ‘vine’ Word-initially, no contrast between [ ɾ ], [r]; [ ɾ ] usually  [r] there

Spanish loans into English Spanishborrowed into English [ | p ɑð ɾ es] ‘Padres’ [ | p h ɑ d ɹ e ɪ z] [ | t ɑko ] ‘taco’ [ | t h ɑkoʊ ] [bu | rito]‘burrito’ [b ə | ɹ i ɾ o ʊ ] [s ɑ n | dje ɣ o] ‘San Diego’ [s æ n | diego ʊ ] [ ɣ ] = voiced velar fricative

Where an English speaker can go wrong Misapplying English phonology to Spanish Aspiration (not in Spanish): [t h ɑkoʊ ] Plural suffix –[z]: [p h ɑ d ɹ e ɪ z] Mid back rounded vowel not a diphthong in Spanish: [b əɹ i ɾ o ʊ ] Failing to learn Spanish phonology voiced fricative, not stop, after vowel: [p ɑð ɾ es] Failing to learn Spanish phonetics [burito] as [b əɹ i ɾ o ʊ ]

General Roca, Argentina [xene ɾ al | roka]

No aspiration [peso] (monetary unit of Mexico) [beso] ‘kiss’ [tono] ‘tone’ [dono] ‘I donate’ [ko ð o] ‘elbow’ [go ð o] ‘goth’ No mid vowel diphthongs [rejno] ‘kingdom’ vs. [reno] ‘reindeer’

Phonetics vs. phonology phoneticsphonology transcriptionnarrow when neededtypically broad, streamlined contrasthow is a particular contrast realized? what is contrastive?