Phonemic Analysis

44 Phonemic Analysis

migrants [cma}gflwvnts] Homeric [hoäcmyflw}k] or [cÑfl] trek [ctflwyk] from [cfflwÎm] debriefed [dicbflwift] shire [càa}fl] reply [flwicpla}] tripling [ctflw}pl}º] Iraqi [}cflwwki] metaphor [cmytvafÑfl] preys [cpflwe}z] iridium [}cflw}divm] ranted [cflwæntvd] proclivities [pflwoäckl}vvÜiz] crucible [ckflwusvbvl] romancing [flwoäcmæns}º] indiscriminately [a}ndvsckflw}mvnvtli] February [cfybjuyflwi] fear [cf}fl] dwarfing [cdwÑflf}º] dreadful [cdflwydfvl] assure [vcàufl] feldspar [cfyldspwfl]

2 Lango phonemes

Lango is a Nilotic language spoken in Uganda.

a. Make a phonetic chart of all the consonants in the data below (columns: place of articulation; rows: manner of articulation, voicing, and length).

b. This problem deals just with the sounds [p, pp, φ, t, tt, 1, Ë, Ò, ≤, k, kk, x]. Collect local environments for these sounds only, following the method given in this chapter.

c. The sounds [p, pp, φ, t, tt, 1, Ë, Ò, ≤, k, kk, x] may be grouped into eight phonemes. List the eight phonemes and their allophones. State the environ- ments where the allophones occur. You may use “elsewhere” to simplify your presentation.

d. State in words the phonological rules that determine the allophones. There is a major ambiguity in determining what is an allophone of what. Figure out this ambiguity, and state analyses for both possibilities.

e. The word for ‘lazy’ is [ ¢ àp], with a [p]. The word for ‘laziness’ is [ ¢ áφô], with a [φ]. Explain how this bears on the ambiguity noted in the previous question.

Phonetic symbols:

• [á] marks High tone, [à] marks Low, [â] marks Falling. • [Ë] and [Ô] are alveolopalatal affricates, [≤] is an alveolopalatal fricative. • [1] is a voiceless tap. • Consonants transcribed as double are simply held longer; they are not

“rearticulated.” Think of them as single long consonants.

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Phonemic Analysis 45

1 [pU] ‘because of’ 33 [dáxô] ‘woman’ 2 [kèË] ‘hunger’ 34 [Ëù Ë] ‘pitch black’ 3 [tLº] ‘spear’ 35 [tódÔó] ‘to beat up’ 4 [búÒó] ‘to yell at’ 36 [wókkí] ‘a few minutes ago’ 5 [ËKp] ‘men’ 37 [dì!x!] ‘wet’ 6 [ˆKt] ‘house’ 38 [máxâË] ‘scissors’ 7 [dKttK] ‘to suck’ 39 [pé] ‘snow, hail’ 8 [p!ppì] ‘fathers’ 40 [kLppK] ‘cup’ 9 [pójó] ‘to remember’ 41 [pàÒó] ‘to peel’

10 [ljèt] ‘hot’ 42 [pámmà] ‘cotton’ 11 [bókkó] ‘to make red’ 43 [mK1Kxà] ‘car’ 12 [júÒú] ‘to throw’ 44 [b!p] ‘to deflate’ 13 [èº"1ó] ‘lion’ 45 [lwUtt5] ‘to sneak’ 14 [ókkL] ‘completely’ 46 [ ¢ àp] ‘lazy’ 15 [dézô] ‘to collect’ 47 [bwKttK] ‘to retort insultingly’ 16 [d&k] ‘stew’ 48 [tèttó] ‘to forge’ 17 [Ëù zâ] ‘bottle’ 49 [Ëàmmó] ‘to eat’ 18 [gw&k] ‘gazelle’ 50 [tKp] ‘to spoil’ 19 [kókkó] ‘to cry’ 51 [ËLk] ‘near’ 20 [ ¢ ázô] ‘laziness’ 52 [pàzó] ‘father’ 21 [Ü'Ë] ‘fish’ 53 [ºw&Òó] ‘to run from’ 22 [bó1"] ‘to me’ 54 [bót] ‘to’ 23 [dìppó] ‘to smash’ 55 [d&ppó] ‘to collect’ 24 [dwé1ê] ‘months’ 56 [gKt] ‘mountain’ 25 [kóddó] ‘to blow’ 57 [jUË] ‘belly’ 26 [Ëín] ‘intestines’ 58 [bìttó] ‘to unshell’ 27 [gí1é] ‘really’ 59 [dKk] ‘to go back’ 28 [lò≤!] ‘man’ 60 [kòp] ‘matter’ 29 [kw!≤ê] ‘leopards’ 61 [t3n] ‘today’ 30 [kál] ‘millet’ 62 [kít] ‘kind’ 31 [mà≤ê] ‘fires’ 63 [àkká] ‘purposely’ 32 [àbí≤&l] ‘six’ 64 [Ëàk] ‘milk’

Further reading

The opening of this chapter states that the central subject matter of phonology is sound patterns in language. This invokes two important early phonological works. Edward Sapir’s “Sound patterns in language” (1925; Language 1: 37–51) was the first work to point out that two languages could have phonetically identical inventories but quite different phonologies (see §2.9 above). The Sound Pattern of English, by Noam Chomsky and Morris Halle (1968, Harper and Row) is by

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