Problems in phonemic analysis

Phonemic Analysis• There is no such thing as a single correct form

of transcription of English, different styles are appropriate for different purposes. But it is essential to keep within one style of transcription on any one occasion. It is important to be consistent.

•The transcription of English vowels is complex because they have been symbolized differently by different authors. Some represent the way they are pronounced in different regions of the English speaking world namely in the United Kingdom and the USA.

Problems in Phonemic Analysis

•Speech is composed of phonemes which represent the sounds produced.

•There are exceptions especially in theoretical terms from the point of learning about phonology of English, not so in learning pronunciation.Affricates

•The affricates tʃ, dʒ are composed of a plosive followed by a fricative.

Phonemic Analysis

•Each can be treated as a single phoneme – one-phoneme analysis of tʃ, dʒ or

•seen composed of two phonemes each t + ʃ, and d+ ʒ respectively and referred to as two-phoneme analysis.

•Common examples: t - ʃ- ɜː- t - ʃ , d-ʒ-ʌ- d-ʒ (5 phonemes)tʃ-ɜː- tʃ , dʒ-ʌ-dʒ (3 phonemes)

•One-phoneme is generally chosen my phonologists.

Phonemic Analysis

•The phonetic quality of the t and ʃ, (d and ʒ) in tʃ, dʒ is different from realisations of t, ʃ, d, ʒ found elsewhere in similar contexts.

•The proposed phonemes tʃ, dʒ have distributions similar to other consonants – in initial, medial and final positions.

•tʃ, dʒ are not able to combine freely with other consonants to form consonant cluster except in final position in the syllable in limited words like

watched (/wɒtʃt/, wedged /wedʒd/, squelch/skweltʃ/, bulge /bʌldʒ/, belch /beltʃ/, clutched /klʌtʃt/.

• If native speakers of English who gave not been taught phonetics feel that tʃ, dʒ are each “one sound”, then we should be guided by their intuitions and prefer the one-phoneme analysis.

The English vowel system

•A different analysis that reduces the number of vowels phonemes, and that long vowels and diphthongs as composed of two phonemes.

•Long vowels using two short vowels twice.

ɪɪ (i:) , ææ (α:) , ʊʊ (uː)•Diphthongs would be composed of a

basic vowel followed by i, u, ə

•Another way is to treat long vowels and diphthongs as composed of a vowel plus a consonant

ej (eɪ) əw (əʊ)æj(aɪ) æw (aʊ)ɒj (ɔɪ)

•Long vowelstj (i:) æh (α:) ɒh (ɔ:) əh (ɜː)

In this analysis, diphthong and long vowels now have the same phonological composition.

•Syllabic consonants are phonologically different from their non-syllabic counterparts.

•Set up a phoneme that may be named syllabic, symbolised by the markˌ then the word codling consist of six phonemes and coddling has seven.

Syllabic Non-syllabicCoddling kɒdlɪŋ

Codling kɒdlɪŋ

Hungary hʌŋgrˌi hungry hʌŋgri

• Some phonologists believe that a syllabic consonant is actually a vowel and a consonant that have become combined. Hence, Hungary is phonetically hʌŋgəri, while hungry is hʌŋgri.

/ə/ is not pronounced as a vowel.

Cluster of s with plosives• Words like ‘spill’, ‘still’, ‘skill’ are usually represented with

the phonemes p,t,k following the s.• the contrasts between p and b, between t and d, and

between k and g are neutralised in this context.

•Schwa (ə)•ə occurs in weak syllables, and •no minimal pairs found to show a clear

contrast between ə and ʌ in unstressed syllables.

•Propose that ə to represent any occurrence ə and ʌ. Hence, ə phoneme have two allophones ə and ʌ, meaning in a weak syllable with stress, ʌ allophone is used and when there is no stress, the ə allophone would be pronounced.

•ə have been suggested as an allophone of several other vowels, compare the middle two syllables in the words ‘economy’ and ‘economic’ - ɪkɒnəmi and i:kənɒmɪk respectively.

Reference

•Roach, P. ( 2010 ) English Phonetics and Phonology: A practical course. Fourth Edition,CUP.