Midterm Practice
1.0 Practice Transcribing in IPA (transcribe according to MY
pronunciation)
fuming
[fjumiŋ]
boundaries
[baʊndʒriz]
contagious
[kʌntedʒʌs]
rhythm
[rɪθm]
|
construction
[kəәnstʃrʌkʃəәn]
2.0
Features: What do they mean?
What are the four general place of articulation features of consonants?
labial
coronal
dorsal
glottal
What does it mean for a consonant to be [+approximant]?
What kind of sound characterizes [+strident] consonants?
Which vowels are [+rounded]?
See Phonology Handouts
3.0
Syllabification Practice
• Syllabify the following words according to the Syllabification Algorithm and English
phonotactic constraints:
Consonants are ONLY syllabic if you put a mark beneath them.
fuming
σ
2
O
N
[fj
σ
t1y
O
N C
u
m
i
ŋ]
boundaries
σ
σ
t1y
t1y
O N C O
N C
[b aʊ n dʒr
i
z]
contagious
σ
σ
σ
t1y 2 t1y
O N C O
N O N C
[k
ʌ
n
t
e dʒ ʌ
s]
rhythm
σ
2
O
N
[r
σ
2
O
N
ɪ
θ
m]
|
construction
σ
σ
σ
t1y t1y t1y
O N C O
N
C O N C
[k
əә
n stʃr ʌ
k ʃ
əә
n]
• Are the following words possible or impossible for English (based on what we’ve identified as
phonotactic constraints in the language)? Why?
[ldɪprɪk]
Impossible: [ld] is not a possible onset in English.
σ
2
O
N
[*ld
ɪ
σ
t1y
O
N C
pr
ɪ
k]
[mɑɡsvrəәk]
Impossible: [gs] can’t be together in a coda, and [svr] can’t be together in an onset.
(I can’t think of any words that start with [vr], but this part of the onset alone seems like it
would be possible in English).
σ
t1y
O
N C
[m
ɑ
*ɡs vr
σ
t1y
O
N C
[m
ɑ
σ
t1y
O
N
C
ɡ
əә
k]
σ
t1y
O
N
C
*svr
əә
k]
[θrʌmbl]
Impossible: [bl] is not a possible coda in English. Notice, that this is simply [l], not its
syllabic counterpart [l]. Only syllabic [l] can be a syllable nucleus.
|
σ
t1u
O
N
C
[θr
ʌ
*mbl]
|
• Syllabify (if possible) the following words in Martian.
o Following the Syllabification Algorithm
o There are no complex onsets in this language
o Only nasal consonants can be codas
o Consonants that can be syllable nuclei are [n] and [ŋ]
|
[bænsəәn]
It can be syllabified.
σ
t1y
O
N C
[b
æ
n
σ
t1y
O
N
C
s
əә
n]
[bəәrænsŋ]
It can’t be syllabified. [nsŋ] is not a legal coda in Martian.
σ
2
O
N
[b
əә
σ
t1u
O
N
C
r
æ *nsŋ]
[kɛrntɪp]
It can’t be syllabified. [rn] is not a legal coda in Martian.
σ
σ
t1y
t1y
O
N C O
N
C
[k
ɛ
*rn t
ɪ
p]
|
4.0
More Phonology Practice
Problem 1: German
Consider the distribution of [ɡ] and [ɣ].
[vaːɤəәn]
‘car’
[taːɣəәn]
‘days’
[naːɣəәn]
‘nibble’
[taʊɣnəәçts]
‘idler’
[fuːɣəәn]
‘fit together’
[aʊɣəәn]
‘eyes’
[ɡəәfloːɣəәn]
‘flown’
[boːɣəәn]
‘arch’
[zoɣəәn]
‘crystallize’
[ziːɡəәn]
‘conquer’
[bəәrɡ]
‘mountain’
[føːɡlam]
‘bird’
[møːɡəәn]
‘can’
[reːɡəәn]
‘rain’
[ɡɪnɡəәn]
‘went’
[ɡanɡəәs]
‘Ganges’
[ʊnɡarn]
‘Hungary’
[ziɡnaːl]
‘signal’
[ɡrɔk]
‘grog’
[ɡ]
#_əә
iː_əә
r_#
ø_l
ø_əә
eː_əә
n_əә
n_a
i_n
#_r
[ɤ]
a:_əә
aʊ_n
u_əә
aʊ_əә
oː_əә
o_əә
No generalization about where [ɡ] occurs.
[ɤ] occurs before [əә] and [n], but so can [ɡ], so that won’t be enough.
[ɤ] occurs after [aː, aʊ, u, o].
/ɡ/  [ɤ] / [-front, +vocalic] __ [+sonorant]
In features, now:
/+voiced, +velar, +dorsal, -continuant/  [+continuant] / [-front, +vocalic] __ [+sonorant]
/+voiced, +velar, +dorsal, -continuant/  [+voiced, +velar, +dorsal, -continuant] / elsewhere
Problem 2: Canadian French
Consider the distribution of [t] and [ts]. Treat [ts] as a single phone.
[tu]
‘all’
[abutsi]
‘ended’
[tɛl]
‘such’
[tab]
‘stamp’
[tsimɪd]
‘timid’
[tsɪt]
‘title’
[teleɡram]
‘telegram’
[trɛ]
‘very’
[kʏltsyr]
‘culture’
[minʏt]
‘minute’
[tsy]
‘you’
[tsʏb]
‘tube’
[t]
#_u
#_ɛ
#_a
#_e
#_r
ʏ_#
[ts]
u_i
#_i
#_ɪ
l_y
#_y
#_ʏ
No generalization about what [t] occurs after (nothing in common between “word edge” and [ʏ]).
No generalization about what [t] occurs before (nothing in common between word edge, vowels,
and [r]).
No generalization about what [ts] occurs after (nothing in common between word edge, [l], and
[u]).
Generalization about what [ts] occurs before: all the vowels are [+front, +high].
/t/  [ts] / __[+front, +high]
Now in features:
/-continuant, -voiced, +coronal/  [+strident] / __[+front, +high]
/-continuant, -voiced, +coronal, -strident/  [-continuant, -voiced, +coronal, -strident] /
elsewhere
Problem 3: Deletion in Martian
Word-final vowels sometimes delete in Martian. Write a phonological rule that tells me which
vowels delete and under what conditions (i.e., in what environment).
/kabi/
/kove/
/kodʌ/
/kopɪ/
/korɪ/
/kiʃʌ/
/lɔθʊ/
[kabi]
[kove]
[kodʌ]
[kop]
[korɪ]
[kiʃ]
[lɔθ]
*[kopɪ]
*[kiʃʌ]
*[lɔθʊ]
Figuring out the solution is a two step process. Which vowels delete? And where?
[i]
b_#
[e]
v_#
[ʌ]
d_#
deletes after [ʃ]
[ɪ]
r_#
deletes after
[p]
[ʊ]
Deletes after [θ]
Only [ɪ, ʊ, ʌ] delete. They delete after [p] and [θ] and [ʃ]. They do not delete after [r] or [d].
/-tense/  [ø] / [-voiced] __ #
/-tense/  [-tense] / elsewhere
6.0
Morphophonology Practice
Problem 1: Somali
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13
Singular
daːr
ɡeːs
luɡ
naːɡ
tib
sab
bad
ʔid
feːɖ
ul
bil
meːl
kaliːl
Singular definite
daːrta
ɡeːsta
luɡta
naːɡta
tibta
sabta
bada
ʔida
feːɖa
ulta
bilta
meːlta
kaliːlta
There are two forms of the morpheme that means “singular definite.” What are they?
Things to know:
[ɖ] is exactly like [d] except that it is [+retroflex, -alveolar]
[ta]
r_#
s_#
g_#
b_#
l_#
[a]
d_#
ɖ_#
/ta DEF SING./  [a DEF SING] / [+coronal, -continuant, +voiced] ___ #
/ta DEF SING./  [ta DEF SING] / elsewhere