LIN 424
(1)
Phonological Processes
Assimilation -- Segments become more similar in certain feature(s)
(i)
Voicing assimilation
e.g.
English plural /s/  [z] / [+voice] __
Place assimilation
e.g.
/n/  [m] / __ [p, b]
e.g.
/s/  [ɕ] / __ [i]
palatalization
/t/  [ʃ] / __ [i]
labialization
Nasalization
(ii)
e.g.
/k/  [kw] / __ [+round]
e.g.
vowels  [+nasal] / ___ [+nasal]
Progressive assimilation (perseverative assimilation)
e.g.
Dutch
/lup zœyvəәr/  [lup sœyvəәr] ‘very pure’
Regressive assimilation (anticipatory assimilation)
e.g.
(iii)
English
Vowel harmony -- Vowels agree in certain feature(s)
e.g. German
(2)
yar
yælic
'year' 'annual'
gut gütik
'good' 'kind'
got götin
'god' 'goddess'
Dissimilation -- Similar elements become less similar in certain feature(s)
e.g.
(3)
in + possible  impossible
Greek: [fθinos[ > [ftinos]
‘cheap’
Lenition/weakening and fortition/strengthening
strong
Weak
< ------------------------------------------------------------------ >
(i)
plosives > fricatives > approximants > vowels > ø
(ii)
aspirated > plain voiceless > voiced
Lenition:
e.g.
spirantization: stops  fricatives / vowels ___
Fortition:
e.g.
consonant hardening: glides  obstruents/ #___ (word initially)
1
Devoicing
(5)
Vowel reduction
e.g.
expose [o]
(6)
Insertion/Epenthesis
e.g.
Japanese [hotelɯ] from English hotel
(7)
Deletion/Elision
e.g.
French
(i)
e.g.
English /l/ devoicing after voiceless consonants, e.g. play [pʰl ̥eɪ]
Japanese high vowel devoicing
voiced stops  voiceless/ __ # (word finally)
(4)
(8)
(11)
chocolate  choc'late
Middle English
library  libr'y
helpe > help
Cluster simplification/cluster reduction
e.g.
wild goose [waɪl gus]
vowel lengthening:
/a/  [aː] /__# (word finally)
consonant gemination:
Taiwanese: /kam/ + /a/  [kamma] ‘orange’
Shortening and degemination
e.g.
(10)
English
lengthening and gemination
e.g.
(9)
peti_ garson
Apocope -- the loss of a final unstressed vowel, usually schwa [əә]
e.g.
(iii)
petit ami
Syncope -- deletion of a vowel, usually near a stressed vowel.
e.g.
(ii)
exposition [ə]
closed syllable shortening:
/taːn/  [tan]
consonant degemination:
/pp/  [p]/ #__
Diphthongization
/eː/  [ej] or [ei]
Monophthongization
/ow/  [oː]
Vowel Tensing and laxing
e.g.
Mandarin mid vowel tensing: /kəә/  [kɤ]
‘song’
English trisyllabic laxing:
serenity
[ɛ]
serene
[i]
2
(12)
(13)
Coalescence:
Metathesis
e.g.
e.g.
relate [t]
relation
Latin
kausa
Spanish
kosa
au  o
'toss'
Past tense
[blø:ʃke:]
ask
[æsk]  [æks]
Lithuanian
English
(14)
[ti]  [ʃ]
English
Infinitive
[blø:kʃti]
Neutralization
Phonologically contrastive units lose the contrast in certain contexts.
e.g.
(i)
German devoicing
/t/ /d/
tier [ti:r] 'animal'
rat [ra:t] 'advice'
dir
rad
[di:r] 'to you'
[ra:t] 'bike'
The phonemic contrast of voiced vs. voiceless stops is neutralized in
syllable final position.
(ii)
English vowel reduction
/a/ /æ/
ironic [a]
irony [əә]
grammatical [æ]
grammar
[əә]
Phonemic vowels are neutralized in unstressed syllables.
(iii)
English
/p/ /b/; /t/ /d/; /k/ /g/
The phonemic contrast of voiced vs. voiceless stops is neutralized after /s/:
spot, stop, skin.
3