Linguistics
Basic Terms
Basic Terms
-
- 1 / 122
-
Flashcards
classic dichotomy
In language:
1) a set of rules and elements they apply to
2) all instances / manifestations where language is being used in infinite variety
game analogy
Set of rules that are binding → players with same cultural background → clearly delimited set of instructions → an infinite number of possible manifestations
Synchronic analysis
approach to the study of language at a point in time
Diachronic analysis
approach to the study of language longitudinally
Main types of grammar:
Prescriptive
Status of rules in grammar = high
Demand that the rules are followed, otherwise the speaker uses bad or incorrect English
Main types of grammar:
Descriptive
Set of rules that describes how language users form what they consider acceptable sentences
alveolar
Teeth ridge (alveolar dam)
postalveolar
Behind Teeth ridge (alveolar dam)
palatal
Hard palate / roof of the mouth
velar
Soft palate velum
uvular
Uvula (Zäpfchen)
Glottal
epiglottal
Glottis folds (Stimmritze)
Epiglottis (above glottis)
Tongue: back / root
Radical (Tongue)
Tongue: body
Dorsal (Tongue)
Tongue: blade
Laminal (Tongue)
Tongue: tip
Apical (Tongue)
Tongue: underside
Subapical retroflex (Tongue)
Plosiv / Oral Stop
Closure formed by the articulators → air pressure → released with a burst
- Voiceless / voiced
- Oral cativity
duck / tuck
Nasal stop
Total obstruction between articulators → no air can escape the mouth → sound = produced by the velum (air escapes through the nose)
- voiced
Sibilant
- a fricative produced in the alveolar / postalveolar region (→ hissing)
zit, sit
Frikativ
Narrow passage of air stream
- voiced / unvoiced
fat, vat
Trill / roll
Air stream gets a soft articulator to vibrate
(R)
Tap / flap
Sound created by a single and very short contact between the tip of the tongue and the alveolar dam
City (US)
Affricative
Combination of two sounds
Cheer, jam
Approximant
The articulators approach each other, but do not get close enough to create an air turbulence
Run, young, well
lateral
Produced on the side of the tongue whose tip is in contact with the alveolar dam
long
Minimal pair
Two words differ by only one sound
meet, neat
Phoneme
Distinctive speech sound, minimal contrastive unit e.g. /m/, /n/
Allophone
Different realisations of one particular phoneme (aka different pronouniciations)
sky, ‘keeper
Assimilation
(progressive and regressive)
One sound becomes like the other
tack → tacks ( no -z )
Leaf → leaves
epenthesis
Sound is added
(Sherbet is pronounced sherbert)
Elision/deletion
Sound is removed from a word
(Thumb is pronounced thum )
coalescence
The ending of one word grows together with initial segments of the following word (good night à Goonnight)
Syllable peak / Nucleus
Central element in a word
Onset
A consonant / consonant cluster preceding the nucleus
Coda
A consonant / consonant cluster following the nucleus
Feet
A unit containing one stressed and one or more unstressed syllables
Unary, binary, ternary
Unary foot
one stressed syllable
nose
Binary foot
stressed syllable is followed by an unstressed syllable
no-sy
Ternary foot
stressed syllable is followed by two unstressed syllables
no-si-ness