1. Sound Changes Prof. Julia Nee Comparative Linguistics
Spring 2014, LaSalle University

2. The Importance of Sound Changes
Useful in the comparative method of determining how languages are related
Helpful in discovering which words are loanwords from other languages
Used to trace the evolution of languages from a common proto-language by comparison of how sounds shifted from the original form to the modern form

3. Vowels

4. Places of Articulation

5. IPA Consonants Nasal: Air flows through the nasal cavity
Plosive: Air stops completely, pressure builds, then pressure is released
Fricative: Friction is created, but air continues to flow
Approximant: Obstruct airway, but do not create friction
Tap, Flap: Brief stop; no buildup of pressure
Trill: Brief, repeated stops; vibration caused by airflow
Lateral: Air goes around the sides of the tongue, but not through the center of the mouth
ENDED HERE ON 11 FEB

6. The Speech String Speech is seamless:
The good can decay many ways.
The stuffy nose can lead to problems.
Some others I’ve seen.
Sounds of a word cannot be completely separated; they blend into one another
The good candy came anyways.
The stuff he knows can lead to problems.
Some mothers I’ve seen
Play CAT-TAC recording
C-A-T but not T-A-C
Watoto wa Afrika ya Mashariki wanapenda sana kusoma na kucheza. Watoto wadogo wanaanza masomo katika shule za chekechea. Baada ya shule ya chekechea wao huenda shule ya msingi. Watoto husoma shule ya chekechea kwa mwaka mmoja au miaka miwili.
Children in East Africa (Africa of East) like much to study and play. Small children begin their studies in kindergarten. (shule za chekechea) After kindergarten, they go to elementary school. They go to kindergarten for one or two years.

7. Swahili
Watotowaafrikayamasharikiwanapendasanakusomanakuchezawatotowadogowanaanzamasomokatikashulezachekecheabaadayashuleyachekecheawaohuendashuleyamsingiwatotohusomashuleyachekecheakwamwakammojaaumiakamiwili.
Watoto wa Afrika ya Mashariki wanapenda sana kusoma na kucheza. Watoto wadogo wanaanza masomo katika shule za chekechea. Baada ya shule ya chekechea wao huenda shule ya msingi. Watoto husoma shule ya chekechea kwa mwaka mmoja au miaka miwili.

8. Swahili
Watoto wa Afrika ya Mashariki wanapenda sana kusoma na kucheza. Watoto wadogo wanaanza masomo katika shule za chekechea. Baada ya shule ya chekechea wao huenda shule ya msingi. Watoto husoma shule ya chekechea kwa mwaka mmoja au miaka miwili.
Children in East Africa like to study and play. Small children begin their studies in kindergarten. After kindergarten, they go to elementary school. They go to kindergarten for one or two years.
Children in East Africa (Africa of East) like much to study and play. Small children begin their studies in kindergarten. (shule za chekechea) After kindergarten, they go to elementary school. They go to kindergarten for one or two years.

9. The Speech String Mabasiyakuendamjini yakowapi? Hoteliyanguikowapi?
Kituochabasikikowapi?
Vipininawezakuendakituochatreni?
Naulikiasigani?
Where are the buses to the city?
Where is my hotel?
Where’s the bus station?
How do I get to the train station?
What’s the fare?
Track 25 Swahili CD1
Mabasi ya kuenda mjini yako wapi?
Hoteli yangu iko wapi?
Kituo cha basi kiko wapi?
Vipi ninaweza kuenda kituo cha treni?
Nauli kiasi gani?

10. The Speech String Mabasi ya kuenda mjini yako wapi?
Hoteli yangu iko wapi?
Kituo cha basi kiko wapi?
Vipi ninaweza kuenda kituo cha treni?
Nauli kiasi gani?
Where are the buses to the city?
Where is my hotel?
Where’s the bus station?
How do I get to the train station?
What’s the fare?
Track 25 Swahili CD1

11. Phoneme Inventory
Each language has a particular set of phonemes that it uses
Acceptable Patterns:
ptak drau hladu
prast sram mgla
vlas flin dnom
rtut tolp nyip
In Japan, we have been very interested in Clinton’s el/rection

12. Syllable Structure Phonemes are assembled into Syllables
Languages have their own rules about how syllables can be built
English: Rime can be V + C (C) (C)
Japanese: C + V
Strawberry ice cream = sutoroberi aisukurimo
Practice: What syllable structures are allowed in Spanish? Draw diagrams! U No
Car
Pro
Prend
Stal
trans

13. Phonetics / Phonemics
The sounds that we have stored in our heads change before they come out of our mouths
Phones = the sounds that actually occur
Phonemes = the ideas that are stored in our heads
How are phonetics and phonemics different?
Some phones are stored the same way phonemically
‘t’ sound of ‘but’ vs. ‘butter’

14. How are phones and phonemes different?
What are the sounds in “tap” and “pat”?
Different ‘p’: /tæp/ and /phæt/
Use minimal pairs to find phonemes:
/cæt/ vs. /cot/
/como/ vs. /cono/
If you can’t find minimal pairs, then you may have two allophones of a phoneme!
Make minimal pairs!

15. Let’s try…
Does /ŋ/ occur in your dialect of Spanish? Where? Is it a phoneme or an allophone?
What is the distribution of the flapped vs. the trilled ‘r’?
Allophone before /g/
Flap and trill are in phonemic contrast word-internally between vowels (carro vs. car)
Complementary distribution elsewhere
Trill only after l, n, s (alrededor, enriquecer, israel) and word initial (/r/ > [r] / #, l, n, s _)
After stop, fricative, only tap (tres, frio) (/r/ > upside down umbrella hook / [+stop], [+fricative] _)
In syllable-final position, can be either depending on emphasis

16. Phonetic Rules
Rules can be applied to the phonemes stored in our heads based on their environments
The result is different phonetic outputs
Multiple rules can apply to the same word
i > ei / _ t
t > ɾ / V _ V
‘write’  /wreit/
/wreiting/  /wreiɾing/
Write rules for our discoveries on previous slide!
Flap and trill are in phonemic contrast word-internally between vowels (carro vs. car)
Complementary distribution elsewhere
Trill only after l, n, s (alrededor, enriquecer, israel) and word initial (/r/ > [r] / #, l, n, s _)
After stop, fricative, only tap (tres, frio) (/r/ > upside down umbrella hook / [+stop], [+fricative] _)
In syllable-final position, can be either depending on emphasis

17. The Regularity Principle
Sound change is regular
The change takes place whenever the sound or sounds which undergo the change are found in the circumstances or environments that condition the change
Spanish: p > b / V_V (“p” becomes “b” between vowels)
Essential to our ability to reconstruct proto-languages

18. Conditioned / Unconditioned
Conditioned changes: changes that take place only in certain contexts
Ex: p > b / V_V
Unconditioned changes: changes that take place generally, no matter what sounds are around it
Ex: ly > y in Latin American Spanish (calye > caye)
This would be a good place for some exercises?

19. Let’s try…
Apply the rule and determine which words are pronounced in the same way:
C > [+voiced] / V_V
Cady Slinking Razor
Catty Slinging Racer
/Kɑdi/ /slɪŋkɪŋ/ /reɪzər/
/Kɑti/ /slɪŋgɪŋ/ /reɪsər/
1,3
Not 2

20. Phonemic / Non-Phonemic (Allophonic)
Phonemic Changes: affect the inventory of phonemes
Non-Phonemic (Allophonic) Changes: don’t affect the phonemes in the language; shift in pronunciation only
Ex: t > ɾ / V _ V
Flaps don’t exist anywhere else in English, so we don’t even realize we have that sound!
We will focus on PHONEMIC changes

21. Merger A, B > B or A, B > C
ly, j > j (Latin American Spanish)
e, o, a > a (Sanskrit)
Sanskrit
Latin
PIE
Definition
Ad-
Ed-
*ed
‘to eat’
Avi-
Ovi-
*owi
‘sheep’
Ajra-
Ager
*aˆgro-
‘field’
Dent
*dent
‘tooth’
Duo
*dwo
‘two’ Ab
*apo
‘away, from’
Danta; dva-; apa

22. Merger Mergers are irreversible
Once a merger is complete, children learn the new sound
Ex: b, p > b
Bebi > bebi
Papi > babi
A separation of b and p would end up being distributed differently: b > p / _a

23. Split Splits follow mergers
In splits, the sounds in question don’t change, but their phonetic status is changed because of the merger of sounds in their environment

24. Split: an example mouse mice foot feet Stage 1 (no changes) /mu:s/
/mu:s-i/
[mu:s-i]
/fo:t/
[fo:t]
/fo:t-i/
[fo:t-i]
Umlaut
[my:s-i]
[fø:t-i]
Loss of –I
/my:s/
[my:s]
/fø:t/
[fø:t]
Umlaut: back vowel is fronted when followed by a front vowel

25. Assimilation One sound becomes more similar to another
Change is brought about by a neighboring sound
Total – Partial
Total: one sound becomes another sound; Caribbean Spanish: h > C / _C
Partial: one sound takes one some of the characteristics of another; English: d > t / [-voiced]_
Hasta: [ahta] > [atta]
Mismo: [mihmo] > [mimmo]
Walk-t; Talk-t; Gain-d; Play-d

26. Other Types of Common Sound Changes
Deletions
Epentheses or insertions
Compensatory lengthening
Metathesis
Palatalization
Voicing
Devoicing
HW: Do this???