Answers are given at the bottom of the page.
Allophones:
#1. Consider the following words of English with respect to how the sound represented by t is pronounced. Specify for each column what the phonetic character of the allophone is. Describe the allophones of /t/ in English and specify their distribution.
| A | B | C | D |
| tougher | standing | matter | petunia |
| talker | still | data | potato |
| teller | story | petal | return |
#2. Fijian is an example of a language with prenasalized stops in its phonological inventory. (The prenasalized stop [nd] consists of a nasal pronounced immediately before the stop, with which it forms a single sound unit.) Consider the following Fijian words as they are pronounced in fast speech:
| vindi | 'to spring up' | dina | 'true' |
| kenda | 'we' | dalo | 'taro plant' |
| tiko | 'to stay' | vundi | 'plantain banana' |
| tutu | 'grandfather' | manda | 'first' |
| viti | 'Fiji' | tina | 'mother' |
| dovu | 'sugarcane' | mata | 'eye' |
| dondo | 'to stretch out one's hand' | mokiti | 'round' |
| vevendu | (a type of plant) |
On the basis of these data, determine whether in Fijian [d], [nd], and [t] are allophones of a single phoneme or are two or three distinct phonemes. If you find that two of them (or all of them) are allophones of a single phoneme, state the rule that describes the distribution of each allophone. If they are all different phonemes, justify your answer.
Note: In Fijian all syllables must end in a vowel.
Complementary distribution
#1. Kongo Obstruents
In
Southern Kongo, we find [t, s, z] in complementary distribution with [
,
, 
],
respectively:
| 1. | tobola | 'to bore a hole' | 9. | nselele | 'termite' |
| 2. | ina |
'to cut' | 10. | loloni |
'to wash' |
| 3. | kesoka | 'to be cut' | 11. | zevo | 'then' |
| 4. | nkoi |
'lion' | 12. | aimola |
'alms' |
| 5. | zenga | 'to cut' | 13. | nzwetu | 'our hourse' |
| 6. | ima |
'to stretch' | 14. | kunezulu | 'to heaven' |
| 7. | kasu | 'emaciation' | 15. | tanu | 'five' |
| 8. | iba |
'banana' |
a) State
the distribution of these sounds. Where do [t, s, z] occur? Where
do [, ,
] occur?
b) Which sounds should be taken as representing the basic underlying phonemes, and which as representing their surface variants? State your reasons.
basic:
nonbasic:
c) State the rule that derives the surface variants from the basic phonemes you have proposed.
#2. Ganda Liquids
[r] and [l] are in complementary distribution in one variety of Ganda. State the conditions under which each appears.
| 1. | kola | 'do' | 11. | wulira | 'hear' |
| 2. | lwana | 'fight' | 12. | beera | 'help' |
| 3. | buulira | 'tell' | 13. | jjukira | 'remember' |
| 4. | lya | 'eat' | 14. | eryato | 'canoe' |
| 5. | luula | 'sit' | 15. | omuliro | 'fire' |
| 6. | omugole | 'bride' | 16. | effirimbi | 'whistle' |
| 7. | lumonde | 'sweet potato' | 17. | emmeeri | 'ship' |
| 8. | eddwaliro | 'hospital' | 18. | eraddu | 'lightning' |
| 9. | oluganda | 'Ganda language' | 19. | wawaabira | 'accuse' |
| 10. | olulimi | 'tongue' | 20. | lagira | 'command' |
Phonological Rules
Phonological rules are usually written in the following form:
A -> B / C __ D
In such rules, A is said to be the affected segment, B is the change, and C and D constitute the context or environment. CAD constittutes the structural description (SD) of the rule, and CBD constitutes the structural change (SC).
Some conventional symbols:
Ø
the null set, e.g. Ø -> B / C __ D "insert B between
C and D."
A -> Ø / C __ D "delete A between C and D."
# word boundary
+ morpheme boundary
C [-syllabic] segment (consonant)
V [+syllabic] segment (vowel)
V´ stressed vowel
C0 zero or more [-syllabic] segments
: lengthened vowel
o syllable (boundary)
#1. State what the following rules do in plain English:
N.B. [-syl] = consonant, [+syl] = vowel
a. [+nas] -> Ø / [+syl] __ #
b.
[+syl ] -> [-syl] / __ [+syl]
[+high]
c.
Ø -> [+syl ] / [+strident]+ __ [-sonorant]
[+high] [+coronal]
[+coronal]
[-back ]
d. [-sonorant
] -> [-back] / __ [+syl ]
[-continuant]
[-back ]
[-labial ]
[+high]
e. V -> [+stress] / __ C0 V C0 V C0 #
#2. Restate the following rules in formal notation:
a. The glide is insterted between a high front vowel and any following vowel.
b. A voiced consonant becomes nasal after a nasal stop.
c. Obstruents are devoiced word-finally or when they precede voiceless obstruents.
d. A stressed vowel is lengthened if the following vowel is unstressed.
e. Voiced stops become the corresponding fricatives intervocalically.
Answers
Allophones
#1.
| A | B | C | D |
| [th] | [t] | [D] | [th] |
Distribution:
a) The
aspirated [th] occurs word initially and word internally, introducing
a stressed syllable.
i.e. [t] -> [+SG] / #__
[t] -> [+SG] / o#__
b) [t] occurs folllowing a word or syllable initial constant i.e. [t] #C__
c) [t] becomes the flap [D] when it occurs between two vowels, i.e. [t] -> [D] / V__V
#2.
[d] is found word initially, i.e. [d] / #__
[nd] occurs syllable initially in the last syllable of the word, i.e. [nd] / o__V#
[t] is found word initially and syllable initially in the last syllable.
Therefore, [d] and [nd] are allophones, but [t] is a different phoneme, since it occurs in the same environments as [d] and [nd].
Rule: [d] -> [nd] / o__V#
Complementary distribution
#1. Kongo Obstruents
1.
[t], [s], [z] occur before the vowels [o], [u], [e]; [],
[], []
occur before [i]
2. t, s, z are the underlying phonemes because they occur in more environments.
3.
Rule: [t], [s], [z] -> [-anterior] / V [+high ]
[+tense]
#2. Ganda Liquids
[l] appears word initially and syllable initially following the vowels /a/o/u/
[r] appears syllable initially following the vowels /i/e/
Rule: [l]
-> [r] / V o__
[+tense ]
[-back ]
Writing Phonological Rules
#1.
a) A nasal disappears following a word-final vowel.
b) A high vowel becomes a consonant preceding a following vowel.
c) [i][I] are introduced morpheme initially between a fricative and a coronal consonant.
d) [t][d] become the corresponding affricates [tS][dZ] preceding [i][I]
e) A vowel becomes stressed in the antepenultimate position.
#2.
a) The glide [j] is inserted between a high front vowel and any following vowel.
Rule: Ø
-> j / V __ V
[+high ]
[+front]
b) A voiced consonant becomes nasal after a nasal stop.
Rule:
C -> [+nasal] / C
__
[+voice]
[-continuant]
[+nasal ]
c) Abstruents are devoiced word-finally or when they precede voiceless obstruents.
Rule:
C -> [-voice] / __ #
[-sonorant]
/ __ C
[-voice ]
[-sonorant]
d) A stressed vowel is lengthened if the following vowel is unstressed.
Rule:
V -> [+:] / __ V
[+stress]
[-stress]
e) Voiced stops become the corresponding fricatives intervocalicially.
Rule:
C -> [+continuant] / V __ V
[+voice ]
[-continuant]