ENG 346: Aspects of the English Language

 

ENG 346: Aspects of the English Language

Lesson 3: Phonology
Week: Jan. 20-26, 2003

Place: Dial 147

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to do each of the following:

  • Distinguish between phonemes and allophones.
  • Recognize phonotactic constraints in English.
  • Use the International Phonetic Alphabet to transcribe English words.
  • Define relevant terms.

Assignments

Read Chapter 3 of Contemporary Linguistics before you come to class on Monday.

 

Write an annotated bibliography for your linguistics guide and bring it to class on Friday.

Activities

Think Fast: Explain why the two words I assign you in class do or do not constitute a minimal pair.

 

Presentation: Phonology (Professor Canada)

 

Cooperative Learning:  Respond to questions 7, 10, 13, and 14 at the end of Chapter 3 of Contemporary Linguistics.

 

Discussion: During this time, we will discuss the insights and questions that have emerged during our “Think Fast” exercise, my presentation, and cooperative learning.

 

Workshop:  Exchange annotated bibliographies with a partner.  Write comments on your partner’s draft, focusing on the breadth, relevance, and credibility of the sources listed.

 

Think Again: Using what you have learned or reviewed in this lesson, interpret a personal encounter with phonology.

 

Conferences: During these one-on-one conferences, I will review some of your writing, orally quiz you on lesson objectives, and field your questions.

 

Announcements: We will wrap up this lesson with announcements regarding upcoming lessons, as well as other relevant subjects.

Terms

Make sure you know the meaning and significance of each of the following terms:

  • allophone
  • contrast
  • distinctive feature
  • environment
  • free variation
  • minimal pair
  • phoneme
  • phonology
  • phonotactics
  • rhyme

Resources

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language contains extensive information on phonology.

 

An Introduction to Language contains extensive information on phonology.

 

Updated January 7, 2003
© Mark Canada, 2003
mark.canada@uncp.edu
 

Introduction

In our last lesson, we studied phonetics, the study of speech sounds.  In this lesson, we turn to the related field of phonology, the study of sound systems in languages. 

Discussion

Phonology

Once you have mastered basic phonetic concepts, such as place of articulation and assimilation, you are ready to look at the sound system of English.  In other words, you are ready to study English phonology.  Although Chapter 3 of your text book covers a number of concepts, you may focus on a few particularly important ones.  First, make sure that you understand the differences between phonemes and allophones and that you can recognize examples of each.  Also, be aware of some phonotactic restraints we have in English and know that different languages have different constraints.  Finally, make sure than you can transcribe English words with the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Practice

Below is an activity designed to help you master the knowledge and skills covered in this unit.  

Phonetic Transcription: Using the symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet, transcribe the words below.  How well does English orthography match the English sound system?  Explain.  Now compare your transcriptions with those of a partner.  Do you notice any differences?  If so, speculate on the reasons for those differences.  Does your pronunciation of a word change if you use it in a sentence? 

    1. sign
    2. singing
    3. bomb
    4. girl
    5. bath
    6. assure
    7. pen
    8. buy
    9. scientists
    10. aunt
    11. car
    12. pianist
    13. ask
    14. pin
    15. spin

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have examined phonology, the study of sound systems in languages.  In our next lesson, we will turn to morphology, the study of word formation.