Chapter 3
English Phonology, Phonotactics, and Suprasegmentals
Exercise 3.1Phonemic Rules
Consider the following English words containing the phoneme /ɡ/.
[ləɡwun]
[bræɡ]
[iɡər]
[ɡɑn]
[ɡwoʊt]
[g̟æf]
[frɑɡ]
[ɡaʊn]
[ɡloʊ]
[g̟is]
[æŋɡər]
[ɡwɔɪɾər]
[ɡwus]
[g̟eɪt]
[ɡʌɾər]
[ɡreɪd]
List the allophones of /ɡ/.
State in words the environment in which each allophone is found.
Write a phonemic rule for /g/, listing one allophone as “elsewhere”.
Consider the following English words containing the phoneme /r/.
[fr̥i]
[tr̥aɪ]
[mɛri]
[rʌf]
[ərwoʊz]
[hæmr̩]
[rwoʊd]
[bɔrdr̩]
[pir]
[pr̥əfɛsr̩]
[əraɪz]
[rʌnr̩]
[rwut]
[pɑrt]
[braɪd]
[dreɪn]
[sɔrwoʊ]
[fɪlr̩]
List the allophones of /r/.
State in words the environment in which each allophone is found.
Write a phonemic rule for /r/, listing one allophone as “elsewhere”.
Consider the following English words containing the phoneme /k/.
[kʌpəl]
[ɑk̚teɪn]
[mɑk̚t]
[skərt]
[loʊkəl]
[kwoʊt]
[k̟eɪm]
[k̟æmərə]
[lʊk̟ɪŋ]
[kaʊ]
[kwulər]
[mæsk]
[sɪkən]
[sɪk̟ɪl]
[kloʊz]
List the allophones of /k/.
State in words the environment in which each allophone is found.
Write a phonemic rule for /k/, listing one allophone as “elsewhere”.
Consider the following English words containing the phoneme /l/.
[pl̥eɪs]
[hɑɫoʊ]
[fl̥eɪm]
[lwɔɪtr̩]
[tʌnl̩]
[mɛlən]
[lwunər]
[tɛɫ]
[lwoʊn]
[leɪm]
[kɝɫ]
[tɛlɪŋ]
[mɪdl̩]
[ʃʌvl̩]
[əlaɪv]
[lɪtl̩]
[laʊd]
[jɛɫoʊ]
[læf]
[kl̥aɪm]
[sl̥æp]
[pɪkl̩]
[lɛs]
[hɛɫp]
List the allophones of /l/.
State in words the environment in which each allophone is found.
Write a phonemic rule for /l/, listing one allophone as “elsewhere”.
[ ɡw ] [ g̟ ] [ ɡ ]
| [ ɡw ] | occurs before rounded vowels |
| [ g̟ ] | occcurs before front vowels |
| [ ɡ ] | occurs initially before consonants and central and back unrounded vowels, word medially and word finally |
| /ɡ/→ | ||
| [ ɡw ] | / | — Vorounded |
| [ g̟ ] | / | — Vofront |
| [ ɡ ] | / | elsewhere |
[ r̥ ] [ rw ] [ r̩ ] [ r ]
| [ r̥ ] | occurs following voiceless consonants |
| [ rw ] | occurs before rounded vowels |
| [ r̩ ] | occurs following consonants word finally |
| [ r ] | occurs before front and central vowels, word medially in the environment of front vowels, preconsonantally, and word finally |
| /r/→ | [ r̥ ] | / | Cvl— |
| [ rw ] | / | — Vorounded | |
| [ r̩ ] | / | C — # | |
| [ r ] | / | elsewhere |
[ kw ] [ k̚ ] [ k̟ ] [ k ]
| [ kw ] | occurs before rounded vowels |
| [ k̚ ] | occurs before other stops and word finally |
| [ k̟ ] | occurs before front vowels |
| [ k ] | occurs initially and medially before central vowels and consonants and following /s/ |
(N.B. We are ignoring aspiration here. All of the allophones with the exception of [k_] would also be aspirated in the proper environment.)
| /k/→ | [ kw ] | / | — Vorounded |
| [ k̚ ] | / | — #, — Cstop | |
| [ k̟ ] | / | — Vofront | |
| [ k ] | / | elsewhere |
[ l̥ ] [ lw ] [ l̩ ] [ ɫ ] [ l ]
| [ l̥ ] | occurs following voiceless consonants |
| [ lw] | occurs before rounded vowels |
| [ l̩ ] | occurs following obstruents and nasals word finally |
| [ ɫ ] | occurs following vowels and approximants, medially in the environment of back vowels |
| [ l ] | occurs before front and mid vowels, medially in the environment of mid and front vowels |
(N.B. syllabic [ l̩ ] is probably “dark” as well, hence [ ɫ̩ ].)
| /l/→ | [ l̥ ] | / | Cvl — |
| [ lw ] | / | — Vorounded | |
| [ l̩ ] | / | C C # | |
| [ ɫ ] | / | Vo —, Approx. — | |
| [ l ] | / | elsewhere |