Difference between revisions of "Phonology"
(added section of terms used in phonology) |
(example) |
||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
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.<ref>[http://grammar.about.com/od/mo/g/minpairterm.htm Definition of minimal pair]</ref> | 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.<ref>[http://grammar.about.com/od/mo/g/minpairterm.htm Definition of minimal pair]</ref> | ||
| − | 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.''<ref>[http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/allophoneterm.htm Definition of allophone]</ref> In English, there is no minimal pair, while in some languages, there could be, in which case those two sounds would be phonemes, not allophones. | + | 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.''<ref>[http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/allophoneterm.htm Definition of allophone]</ref> 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. |
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category:Linguistics]] | [[Category:Linguistics]] | ||
Revision as of 16:30, October 11, 2011
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.
Terms used in phonology
A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound whose change can change the meaning of what is said.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4] 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.