Difference between revisions of "Phonology"
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'''Phonology''' is the study of the organization and use of sounds in natural languages.<ref>[http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsPhonology.htm Phonology, from LinguaLinks Library]</ref> Phonologists describe and categorize the sounds of speech using the [[IPA|international phonetic alphabet]], a system of symbols used to unambiguously represent individual speech sounds in all the world's languages. | '''Phonology''' is the study of the organization and use of sounds in natural languages.<ref>[http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsPhonology.htm Phonology, from LinguaLinks Library]</ref> Phonologists describe and categorize the sounds of speech using the [[IPA|international phonetic alphabet]], a system of symbols used to unambiguously represent individual speech sounds in all the world's languages. | ||
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| + | The phoneme is the sound, while it can have many different representations by characters of that sound in the language. For example, the phoneme "j" (IPA nomenclature, the same as the old affricate /dʒ/) is expressed in English by the characters "Y" (as in "yes"), "i" (as in "onion"), and "j" (as in "hallelujah")<ref name="EP">https://englishphonetics.net/english-phonetics-academy/the-44-sounds-of-english-based-on-the-IPA.html</ref> Meanwhile, the other "j" sound has five different expressions: j, g, ge, dge, and d.<ref>https://ortongillinghamonlinetutor.com/five-ways-to-spell-the-j-sound-in-the-english-language/</ref> | ||
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| + | There are 44 sounds (phonemes) in English, while only 24 in Spanish, 34 in French, 46 in German, and 49 in Italian.<ref name="EP"/> | ||
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==Terms used in phonology== | ==Terms used in phonology== | ||
A '''phoneme''' is the smallest unit of sound whose change can change the meaning of what is said.<ref>[http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/phonemeterm.htm Definition of phoneme]</ref> In English there are 44 phonemes: | A '''phoneme''' is the smallest unit of sound whose change can change the meaning of what is said.<ref>[http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/phonemeterm.htm Definition of phoneme]</ref> In English there are 44 phonemes: | ||
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== Alternative grouping == | == Alternative grouping == | ||
| − | There are alternative groupings of the 44 sounds,<ref>https://timeforphonics.co.uk/what-are-the-44-phonemes-in-the-english-language/</ref> and | + | There are alternative groupings of the 44 sounds,<ref>https://timeforphonics.co.uk/what-are-the-44-phonemes-in-the-english-language/</ref> and occasionally it is described as a smaller total of 42. Regional accents can result in variations on these sounds in English. |
==Examples== | ==Examples== | ||
The sound represented by /æ/ is the "a" in "sat...past...fan...camera"<ref>https://www.americanenglishsounds.net/aelig-sat-past.html</ref> It is slightly different from the "a" in "cat" and "bat". | The sound represented by /æ/ is the "a" in "sat...past...fan...camera"<ref>https://www.americanenglishsounds.net/aelig-sat-past.html</ref> It is slightly different from the "a" in "cat" and "bat". | ||
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| + | == See also == | ||
| + | *[https://englishphonetics.net/english-phonetics-academy/the-44-sounds-of-english-based-on-the-IPA.html Superb table of the 44 English phonemes and their character equivalents] | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category:Linguistics]] | [[Category:Linguistics]] | ||
[[Category:Phonics]] | [[Category:Phonics]] | ||
Revision as of 16:25, April 30, 2023
Phonology is the study of the organization and use of sounds in natural languages.[1] Phonologists describe and categorize the sounds of speech using the international phonetic alphabet, a system of symbols used to unambiguously represent individual speech sounds in all the world's languages.
The phoneme is the sound, while it can have many different representations by characters of that sound in the language. For example, the phoneme "j" (IPA nomenclature, the same as the old affricate /dʒ/) is expressed in English by the characters "Y" (as in "yes"), "i" (as in "onion"), and "j" (as in "hallelujah")[2] Meanwhile, the other "j" sound has five different expressions: j, g, ge, dge, and d.[3]
There are 44 sounds (phonemes) in English, while only 24 in Spanish, 34 in French, 46 in German, and 49 in Italian.[2]
Terms used in phonology
A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound whose change can change the meaning of what is said.[4] In English there are 44 phonemes:
- 19 consonants
- 5 short vowels
- 5 long vowels
- 7 digraphs
- Consonants: ch, ng, sh, th
- Vowels: ai, air, ar, ear, ee, er, igh, oa, oo, or, ur, ow, oi, ure
- Other: aw, au, ay, ou (four different sounds), ie, ea, oi, ir, ph, ew, oe, ue, wh
- 5 r-related sounds,
- 2 distinct "oo" sounds (as in book/rook and moon/food/fool)
- 2 diphthongs
A minimal pair is a pair of words that differ by only one phoneme, e.g., hit and hid. The existence or not of a minimal pair tests whether two apparently different sounds are actually phonemes.[5]
An allophone (from Greek "other" and "sound") is an audibly distinct sound that is not a separate phoneme. Examples are the aspirated initial p and unaspirated final p of pip.[6] In English, there is no minimal pair, while in some languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, there could be, in which case those two sounds would be phonemes, not allophones.
Tone is the use of pitch to distinguish words. Different tones that distinguish words in the same way as phonemes are called tonemes, and languages with tonemes are called tonal languages. The majority of languages in the world are tonal languages.[7]
Alternative grouping
There are alternative groupings of the 44 sounds,[8] and occasionally it is described as a smaller total of 42. Regional accents can result in variations on these sounds in English.
Examples
The sound represented by /æ/ is the "a" in "sat...past...fan...camera"[9] It is slightly different from the "a" in "cat" and "bat".
See also
References
- ↑ Phonology, from LinguaLinks Library
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://englishphonetics.net/english-phonetics-academy/the-44-sounds-of-english-based-on-the-IPA.html
- ↑ https://ortongillinghamonlinetutor.com/five-ways-to-spell-the-j-sound-in-the-english-language/
- ↑ Definition of phoneme
- ↑ Definition of minimal pair
- ↑ Definition of allophone
- ↑ Tone (linguistics)
- ↑ https://timeforphonics.co.uk/what-are-the-44-phonemes-in-the-english-language/
- ↑ https://www.americanenglishsounds.net/aelig-sat-past.html