Phonology

Prepared by: Fina-Daye S. Panginen

 Diphthongs
 There are three American-English  [aI] (ī) as in mile, tile
diphthongs: Bright isle
1. [aI] (ī) as I in rice Frightened butterfly
2. [aυ] (ou) as in how, now High tide
3. [ͻI] (oi) as in boy, coy Invite a guide
Other sounds which may be Prime of life
considered diphthongs are the
variants of the vowels e and o. Prize aspired
Requite the crime
Ride by night
 Diphthongs
[aυ] (ou) as in now, vow  [ͻI] (oi) as in boy, coy
I wandered lonely as a cloud,
That floats on high o’er vales and hills, Anoint the boy
When all at once I saw a crowd,
Deploy the convoy
A host, of golden daffodils;
Joyful voice
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Recoil from toil
Fluttering and dancing on the breeze.
Spoiled oyster
-William Wordsworth
“The Daffodils”
 Nonphonemic Diphthongs like [ɛə] (âə); [ͻə]
(ộə); [Iə] (іə); [υə] (ооə)

[ɛə] (âə) as in air [Iə] (іə) as in fear

Beware millionare prayer Cashier fierce hemisphere
Compare square unaware Disappear mountaineer veer

[ͻə] (ộə) as in lore [υə] (ооə) as in poor

Accord forte horse Allure boor ensure
North sore cord Tour endure poor
The Consonants
21 consonant letters in the English alphabet
25 American-English consonant sounds: 10 voiceless, 15 voiced incldg nasals
The Consonants
Place of Articulation. For any articulation corresponding to one of these consonant phonemes,
the vocal tract is constricted at one of the following points.
Bilabial (from bi “two” + labial “lips). The primary constrictions is at lips (/p,b,m,w/).
Labiodental (from labio “lips” + dental “teeth”.) The primary constriction is between the
lower lip and the upper teeth (/f,v/)
Interdental (from inter “between” + dental “teeth”). The primary constriction is between the
tongue and the upper teeth (/θ,ð/).
Alveolar (from the alveolar ridge). The primary constriction is between the tongue and the
alveolar ridge (/t,d,s,z,n,l/)
Palate (from palate). The primary constriction is between tongue and the palate (/š,ž,č,ј,r,y/
Velar (from velum). The primary constriction is between the tongue and the velum (/k,g,ŋ/)
Glottal (from glottis, which refers to the space between the vocal cords). The primary
constriction is at the glottis (/h/).
 

 
Manner of Articulation. For any articulation corresponding to one of these consonant
phonemes, the vocal tract is constricted in one of the following ways.
 
Stops. Two articulators (lips, tongue, teeth, etc) are brought together such that the flow of air
through the vocal tract is completely blocked (/p,b,t,d,k,g/).
Fricatives. Two articulators are brought near each other such that the flow of air is impeded but
not completely blocked. The air flow through the narrow opening creates friction, hence the
term fricative (/f,v,θ,ð,s,z,š,ž,h/)
Affricates. Articulations corresponding to affricates are those that begin like stops (with a
complete closure in the vocal tract) and end like fricatives (with a narrow opening in the vocal
tract) (/č,j/). Because affricates can be described as a stop plus a fricative, some phonemic
alphabets transcribe /č/ as /tš/ and /j/ as /dž/.
Nasals. A nasal articulation is one in which the airflow through the mouth is completely blocked
but the velum is lowered, forcing the air through the nose (/m,n,ŋ/).
Liquids and Glides. Both of these terms describe articulations that are mid-way between true
consonants (i.e, stops, fricatives, affricatives and nasals) and vowels, although they are both
generally classified as consonants. Liquid is a cover term for all i-like and r-like articulations
(/l,r/).
 The Bilabial Sounds

Voiceless Stop [p] vs. [b]

[p] as in pie, spy, pipe
Empathy proponent Pack-back pest-best
Cope troupe Pale-bale pill-bill
Pane-bane pike-bike
Voiced Stop Peak-beak post-boast
[b] as in bee, label, ebb
Beau emblem
Stubborn grab
 The Lip-Teeth or Labiodental Sounds

Voiceless Fricative [v] vs. [f]

[f] as in fast, prophet, cough Veil-fail veer-fear

Fain pharaoh Van-fan vine-fine

Vat-fat vile-file
Fund laughing
Vase-face vie-fie
Phobia pharaoh

Voiced Fricative
[p] vs. [f]
[v] as in veil, invite, Eve
Pain-fain pig-fig
vase clover Past-fast pined-fined
Davao Stephen Pang-fang pursed-first
Haven love Pete-feat pour-four
 The Tongue-Teeth Sounds
(Lingua-Dental)
Voiceless Fricative [θ] vs. [ð]
[θ] (th) as in think, everything, mirth Thaw-though bath-bathe
Thigh-thy breath-breathe
Thane thermal
Cloth-clothe ether-either
Atheist breathtaking
Teeth-teethe mouth (n) -mouth (v)
Forth myth

Voiced Fricative [d] vs. [ð]

[ð] (th) as in there, other, breathe Day-they loading-loathing
Thee this Dough-though breed-breathe
Bathing rhythm Ladder-lather tide-tithe
Soothe (v) mouth (v) Seed-seethe ride-writhe
 Post-Alveolar Sounds
Voiceless Fricative [ʃ] (sh) vs. [s]
[ʃ] (sh) as in sheik, cushion, ash Sack-shack sue-shoe
(-ti-,-si-,-ss-,-ci-,-ch- Seep-sheep sore-shore
Singled from out the rest was a beauty from Ass-ash class-clash
the west,
Sigh-shy sell-shell
She had charm, she had zest,
She was pronounced the loveliest.
Tongue Twister
To her Stephen paid his attention,
A foolish young fisher named Fisher
Vowing his sincere intentions,
Once fished for some fish in a fissure
Day in and day out he hoped for consolation
Til! A fish with a grin
From the lady of his election.
Pulled the fisherman in
-A Dominican sister,
Now, they’re fishing the fissure for Fisher.
“The Face Buried in the Sand” -Anonymous
 Voiced Fricative
And only the Master shall praise us, and only [Ʒ] (zh) as in treasure, regime
the Master shall blame; And no one shall (-z-,-s-,-si-,-ge-)
work for money, and no one shall work for
LIMERICKS
fame.
Once there was a flashy glazier,
-Rudyard Kipling,
“L’Envoi” Who set his glass on a brazier,
He pounded with confusion,

Matrimony usually starts with friendship, Which caused an explosion,

goes on to courtship, and ends up in And the glazier landed on the brazier.
battleship.
There was a king in camouflage,
On his waist was a red corsage,
His greatest pleasure
During his leisure
Was to see his face in a mirage.
 The Tongue-Tip and
Lingua-Alveolar Fricatives
[s] as in sit, assail, lips [z] as in zip, buzz, lazy
Three things are necessary to make the [s] 1. The z is always pronounced [z].
sound: 2. The letter s is pronounced [z] when it
1. The lips must be retracted- as in a smile. follows a voiced sounds including vowels
2. The upper and lower teeth must be and dipthongs, e.g. beds, dogs, ease,cries.
closed or almost closed. In these examples, the final s becomes [z].
The voiced consonants are [b], [d], [g], [z],
3. The tongue must be either above or [I], [m], [n], [j], [r], [ð], [v], [w], [Ʒ].
below the middle line of the teeth but
not touching either the upper teeth or
the gum ridge. Alms elves losers
School spend stay Bows guys knees
Spark spill steal Brings rings hides
Special spoon sport
The Tongue-Tip and
Lingua-Alveolar Fricatives
[s] vs [z]
Sacks zax
Scion Zion
See zee
Seal zeal
Sink zinc
 The Nasals
Tell me not in mournful numbers,
Bilabial Nasal [m] as in me, remit,
Life is but an empty dream,
rhyme
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
Medley milieu muse
And things are not what they seem.
Amnesia dermatology thermal
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
Dome palm slam
“Psalm of Life”

unstressed If the mountain doesn’t come to Mohammed,

Chrism classicism antagonism Mohammed must go to the mountain.
-English Proverb

All human wisdom is summed up in two words – wait

and hope.
-Alexander Dumas
Count of Montes Cristo
 The Nasals
Velar Nasal [ŋ] (ng) as in young, morning
The Lingua-Alveolar Nasal [n] as in no,
cunning, can Meringue spring
again and again main avenue Bringing singing
Brown mitten naughty kitten Bungalow linger
Cunning hunter open oven Larynx anxious
Wink zinc
It is almost a definition of a gentlemen to Be strong!
say he is one who never inflicts pain. It matters not how deep entrenched the
-John Henry Cardinal Newman, wrong,
Idea of a University
How hard the battle goes, the day, how long,
Faint not, fight on! Tomorrow comes the
song. –Maltbie D. Babcock
 The Affricates
Voiced [dƷ] (dzh) as in June, enjoy, cage
Voiceless [tʃ] (ch) as in chain
Gem Gemini gin
Righteous watch suggestions
Gigantic gesture jib
Future cello

1. Young men are fitter to invent than to judge;

[tʃ] (ch) vs. [ʃ] (sh)
filter for execution than for counsel; and fitter
Catch cash for new projects than for settled business.
-Francis Bacon.
Chase chaise
“Of Youth and Age”
Chatter shatter
2. There is nothing more tragic in life than the
Chick chic utter impossibility of changing what you have
Choose shoes done.
-John Galsworthy,

“Justice”
End of Discussion