Phonology

In contrast to phonetics, phonology is the study of how sounds and gestures pattern in and across
languages, relating such concern with other levels and aspects of language. Phonetics deals with the
articulatory and acoustic properties of speech sounds, how they are produced, and how they are
perceived. Phonology is concerned with the abstract set of sounds in a language that allows us to
distinguish meaning in the actual physical sounds we say and hear.

PHONEME

Phoneme is the contrastive sound unit in a language, it is contrastive because it distinguishes meanings
when exchanged for other phonemes in language. It is also called smallest unit of the sound.

Each one of these meaning-distinguishing sounds in a language is description as a phoneme. When we

considered the basis of alphabetic writing, we were actually working with the concept of the phoneme
as the single sound type which came to be represented by a single symbol. It is in this sense that the
phoneme /t/ is described as a sound type of which all the different spoken versions of [t] are tokens.
Note that slash marks are conventionally used to indicate a phoneme, /t/ , an abstract segment, as
opposed to the square brackets, [t], used for each phonetic, or physically produced, segment.

An essential property of a phoneme is that it functions contrastively. We know that there are two
phonemes /f/ and /v/ in English because they are the only basis contrast in meaning between the forms
fat and vat, or fine and vine. This contrastive property is the basic operational test determining the
phonemes which exist in a language. If we substitute one sound for another in a word and there is a
change of meaning, then the two sounds represent different phonemes.

The Kinds of Phoneme

1. Segmental

It is phonology that deals with the analysis of speech into phonemes which correspond fairly well to
phonetic segments of the analyzed speech. Consist of consonant and vowel.The Segmental Sounds of
English consist of:

2. The English Consonant

The English consonants are twenty-four in number. The word consonant is phonemic. Of courses the
word consonant here does not refer to the consonant found in the English alphabet, but rather to the
consonants as they sound orally. The example of consonants are: /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /f/,/v/,/θ,
/ð/, /s/, /z/, /∫/, /з/,/t∫/, /dз/, /h/, /m/, /n/, /η/,/l/, /r/, /w/, /j/.

3. The English Consonant described

It is a list of the English consonant phonemes and their major allophones. The allophones are describes
phonetically.

4. Consonant Clusters

It is a combination of two or more consonant. Such clusters may occur in initial, medial, or final
positions.

5. The English Vowel

The English vowels are fourteen in number. In addition to these vowels, there are glides and diphthongs,
which are really combinations vowels. The examples of vowels are: /i/, /i:/, /ei/, /æ/,/ə/,/, /з/, /a/,
/u:/, /u/, /əu/, /α/, /

5. The English Vowel Described

It is a list of the English vowel phonemes. They are described phonetically, and their distribution is given
with example: phoneme / e / , allophone [ e ] description mid open front unrounded. It occurs only
initially and medially. / end / *end+ ‘end’ ; / send / *send+ ‘send’.

6. Length in English Consonants and Vowels

Means the time it takes to produce a sound. This does not mean the speed at which a person speaks. It
means, rather, the relative length of time in which each separate sound is produced, as compared with a
longer or shorter time in which the same sound or other sounds may be produced in the stream of
speech.

7. Supra – Segmental

It is a vocal effect that extends over more than one sound segment in an utterance, such as pitch, stress,
or juncture, pattern. In supra-segmental consist of:

8. Stress

It is the force of breath with which sounds are produced. This force is relative; that is, the strength or
weakness of the force is determined in relation to other forces of breath in the utterance or utterances
of person. For example, in the word market, it is clear that the first syllable has stronger stress than
second syllable. Four phonemic word stress levels :

Primary stress

– symbol : / ˈ /

Secondary stress

– symbol : / ˌ /
Tertiary stress

– symbol : / /

Weak stress

– symbol : / /

9. Intonation

Means the changes in the pitch (or music) of the voice while producing speech. Every utterance is
produced with some intonation and pitch. Pitch levels, like stress levels, are relative to each other.

10. Pause

It is length of silence between parts of an utterance. In English, there are two pause phonemes. (Some
linguistics believe that there are three pause phonemes). The two pause phonemes are a short one and
a final one. bar The symbols used for these phonemes are a single bar for short pause and a double bar
for the final pause.

11. Juncture

It is really a very short pause; it is space in speech between sounds or word. In English, there is one
juncture phoneme. The symbol for juncture phonemes is / + / ( a plus sign ).

12. Rhythm

Means the beat of language. In English, rhythm is stress-timed. This means that the time between two
primary stresses is the same. If there are many word or syllable between the two primary stresses, then
these syllable will be pronounced fast; this is why native speakers of English jam their syllables. If, on the
other hand, there is only a small number of syllables between the primary stresses, then these syllables
will be pronounced slowly and more clearly.

Minimal Pairs and Sets

When two words are identical in form except for a contrast in one phoneme, occurring in the same
position, the two words are described as a minimal pairs.

For examples:

fan –van, bet –bat, side –side.

When a group of words are differentiated, each one from the others, by changing one phoneme (always
in the same position) is a minimal sets. A minimal sets based on the vowels and consonants.
For examples based on vowel:

feat – fit, fat – fate, fought – foot .

For examples based on consonant:

big – pig, rig – fig, dig –wig.

Phones and Allophones

Phones is these phonetic units are technically that have difference in pronunciation. For examples: seed
and seen.

Allophones

is these phonetic variants are technically, in English to realize single phoneme. For examples: [t], [th],
and [d] are similar sound. They are similar because they are all alveolar stops. The only difference
between them is that [t] is voiceless and unaspirated, [th] is voiceless and aspirated, and [d] is voiced.