Lecture V

Phonological processes

November 13th, 2008

Structure of the talk

•

Phonostylistics

•

Phonological processes vs.
phonological rules

•

The role of features in
phonological processes

•

Unordered and feeding rule
application

Phonostylistics

•

Phonostylistics – the phonological

processes that are conditioned by

speaking style i.e., style-sensitive or style-

dependent ones.

•

emphatic – formal – informal

•

Underlying form (intention) is a mental

representation of a word or phrase (style-

independent)

•

Surface form – the actual realisation of a

given word or phrase (style dependent).

Phonological processes

•

A phonological process is “a mental
operation that applies in speech to
substitute, for a class of sounds or
sound sequences presenting a specific
common difficulty to the speech
capacity of the individual, an
alternative class identical but lacking
the difficult property.”

(Stampe 1979:

1).

Features of phonological

processes

•

Phonological processes are inborn,

natural, universal and mental

•

The full repertoire of phonological

processes is available to the child at the

very beginning of the acquisition period.

•

The processes undergo supression,

limitation and ordering

•

Processes are believed to be

phonetically motivated

The functioning of phonological

processes

•

Underlying representation /  / Adult form

b Denasalisation

p Devoicing of final consonant

 Gliding
 Frication
Processes  Stopping

 Labial assimilation

 Neutralisation
Surface form /  / Child’s form

Adapted from Shriberg – Kwiatkowski (1980: 11)

Phonological rules

•

Phonological rules are conventions that have

to be learned and observed by all speakers of a

language

•

Phonological rules are basically morphological

•

Phonological rules can

-

change features of segments

-

delete segments

-

insert segments

-

coalesce segments

-

permute or interchange segments (metathesis)

The processes/rules dichotomy

•

Processes:

•

possess synchronic

phonetic motivation

•

are inborn

•

apply subconsciously

only their absence is

noticeable

•

are exceptionless

•

apply to slips of the

tongue, loan word etc.

•

may be obligatory or

optional

•

Rules:

•

have no synchronic

motivation, but possess

a grammatical function

•

have to be learned

•

are formulated through

observation

•

tolerate exceptions

•

are not productive

•

are obligatory, style-

independent

Examples of processes and rules

•

Lenitions – context-

sensitive (weakening

processes):

-

assimilation

-

deletion

-

reduction

-

monophthongisation

•

Fortitions – contex-free

strengthening processes:

-

onset strengthening

-

dissimilation

-

insertion

-

diphthongisation

•

Rules:

•

velar softening:

// - //
/ - /
// - //
// - //

•

the // - // alternation in Polish

// - //

•

irregular verb forms

// - //

The form and notation of rules

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A→B/X_Y

•

A becomes B between X and Y

•

Chomsky and Halle – The sound
patterns of English

The role of features in phonological

processes

The feeding order of rule

application

•

The application of one process
creates an environment that
makes possible the application of
another process that could
otherwise not apply, eg. vowel
deletion and liquid devoicing in
parade, police, etc.

Unordered processes

•

Two rules are said to be
unordered when the order in
which they are applied makes no
difference to the outcome, i.e.
They do not interact or affect each
other in any way, e.g. vowel
lengthening and aspiration as in
the word //

Unordered processes

Bibliography

•

Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, Katarzyna. 2002. Beats-and-

biding phonology. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.

•

O’Grady, William – Dobrovolsky, Michael – Katamba,

Francis. (1996). Contemporary linguistics. London:

Pearson Education Limited.

•

Hyman, Larry. 1975. Phonology: theory and analysis.

New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc.

•

Sobkowiak, Włodzimierz. 2001. English phonetics for

Poles. Poznań: Wydawnictwa Poznańskie.

•

Shriberg, Lawrence – Kwiatkowski, Joan. 1980. Natural

process analysis. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

•

Stampe, David. 1979. A Dissertation on Natural

Phonology. New York: Garland.