Phonetics Final Exam

Description:	Phonetics Exam #3
Category:	Speech Therapy
Created by:	Melanie.Stutler on 2009-05-18

Question	Answer
Briefly describe Chomsky & Halle’s distinctive approach to sound analysis, using these terms: bundle of features, binary.	Description=Sounds can be discussed with a bundle of distinctive features. Using a binary(+/-) system you can compare phonemes and see how their similar or different.
Briefly describe Chomsky & Halle’s distinctive approach to sound analysis, using these terms: bundle of features, binary. Tell one strength and one weakness of this system for the analysis of child speech.	Strength= Universal, Binary system(+/-) allows us to think about features and search for patterns. Weakness=It’s bulky and time consuming.
What are natural phonological processes? Tell one strength and one weakness of this type of phonological description.	Simplifications of adult phonology universal in language development. Strength=universal in normal language development Weakness=doesn’t work as well with speech disorders
Weak syllable deletion	normal co-articulation processes/Syllable structure process in which the unstressed syllable is lost. Ex: telephone goes to /tEfon/
Final consonant deletion	deletion of final consonant/ reducing CVC words to CV (Consonant/ vowel) Ex: Book goes to /bU/
Cluster reduction	speaker simplifies consonant cluster by deleting one of the consonants. Ex: Block goes to /bak/
Epenthesis-	insertion of a sound segment (usually schwa) into a word changing its syllable structure. (AKA: Schwa insertion) Ex: Snow goes to [seno] e=schwa
Stopping	fricative replaced by a stop. Ex: Sun goes to /t^n/ (^=carrot)
Fronting	sounds are produced more forward than their normal articulation. Ex: shoe goes to /su/
Labialization	the replacement of a nonlabial sound by a labial one. Ex: thumb goes to /f^m
Affrication	fricatives become affricates. Ex: sun goes to /ts^n/
Deaffrication-	The production of affricates as homorganic fricatives. Ex: cheese goes to [shiz]
Gliding	gliding of liquids Ex: [r,l] go to [w,j] red goes to /wEd/
Vowelization(vocalization	the replacement of liquids and nasals by vowels. [r,l] go to vowel. Ex: table goes to /teIbou/
Assimilation (labial, alveolar, velar)/harmony processes	-when a sound becomes similar to another sound in the word. Ex: labial-thumb goes to /w^m/ Alveolar- yellow goes to /lElo/ Velar-(most common type) dog goes to /gag/
Prevocalic voicing-	process that affects voiceless stops. Ex: pig goes to /bIg/
Devoicing	replacement of a voiceless for a normally voice sound. Ex: big goes to /bIk/
Using the Sander chart (reader II 16 or text p. 247), which consonant phonemes are mastered by age:	3: p,m,h,n,w, 4: add to those b,k,g,d,f,y 6: add to those: t,ng,r (sometimes),l, 8: add: s,ch,sh,z,j,v,th (V+VL), zh s(established but still working)
What is metalinguistic awareness?	The ability to think about language, manipulate it, and talk about its structure and parts.
What is the relationship between metalinguistic awareness of language units and learning to read?	To learn to read, children must apply their knowledge of spoken language to the written language in a conscious way. (i.e using metalinguistic awareness)
Why is phonological awareness important in this process?	In order to independently indentify new words the reader needs to know how letters represent sounds. OR Child needs to understand that speech is made up of different sounds put together & that spoken words can be broken up into sounds and syllable units.
Why is it easier to break up a word into syllables than it is into sounds?	Speech sounds- rarely spoken in isolation & sounds dont have meaning the way words do. Each syllable of English has peak of acoustic energy in vowel; vowel peaks give audible clues to the # of syllables in word/phrase. Sound seg. requires metaphon.skills
Define Phonotactics:	Rules for combining sounds in syllables;Identifies permissible syllable structure, consonant clusters and vowel sequences
Onset	part of a syllable that precede the syllable nucleaus
Nucleus	central part of syllable (most commonly a vowel)
Coda	the consonant sounds of a syllable that follow the nucleus which is usually a vowel
Rhyme	combination of a nucleus and coda
What is a consonant cluster, and where in the syllable can it occur?	A group of consonants that appear in a syllable that have no intervening vowel between them
How many consonants can occur in the onset? In the Coda?	Onset:3 Coda:4
Can the nucleus have more than one vowel?	No…diphthongs also count as one as well?
Handy terms: open syllable vs. closed syllable	Open: has one and only one vowel that occurs @ end of that syllable Closed: has one and only one vowel that ends in a consonant
Releasing consonant vs. Arresting Consonant	Releasing: plosive, stopping airflow and then releasing it Stop: consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in vocal tract
Phonotactic rule: / nasalized /n/:	appear in syllable terminating consonant(Coda) only
Phonotactic rule: /w/	appear in syllable initiating(onset) consonant only
Phonotactic rule: /j/:	appear syllable initiating(onset) consonant only
Give an example of how languages differ in their phonotactic rules. How can this affect the second language learner?	In Vietnamese, the phonotactic rule CVC does not exist. Therefore, a native Vietnamese speaker trying to learn English as a second language may have trouble saying “shoes”, and instead would say “shoe” for more than one shoe.
Dialect:	a linguistic variation, a subet of the total language used by speakers who share some common characteristics such as geography, ethnic group or social class
Idiolect:	a unique characteristic of one’s individual language
Style/register	refers to levels of formality
Formal English	applies primarily to written language and formal spoken situations
Informal English	relies more on grammatical structure than pronunciation patterns; assessed by members of the American English speaking community who have their own opinions of what should be “standardized”.
Vernacular	native language of a country or a locality; refers to the varieties of spoken American English that are considered to be outside the continuum of informal standard English.
Pidgin and Creole:	Pidgin & Creole: pidgin is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication btwn 2+ groups that do not have a language in common in situations such as trade. Creole originates from Pidgin which has become a native language to Creoles.
Code Switching	ability to switch from language/dialect to another
Speech (linguistic) community	people who share a given language or dialect
Name several ways that speech communities may be delineated	By region, native language, class, culture and ethnicity
How does one dialect become the “standard dialect” of a community?	Usually defined by certain regional and class markers and is an establishment of a common language used to communicate
Do dialects differ in their grammatical correctness?	Yes…because the syntax and morphology between dialects often differ…
Why do some people feel that some dialects are inferior to others?	Prejudices against another class, ethnicity ect.
Dialect Differences: Phonology (most subject to diversity):	(most subject to diversity): word variability when a particular word differs in pronunciation (e.g. tomato, route)
Dialect Differences: Syntax/Morphology	when someone says “he gonna spend five cent” instead of “he’s going to spend five cents”
Dialect Differences:Vocabulary	What’s a soda? The word soda may mean one thing in one region and different in another
Dialect Differences:Idiom	a phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definition and is used to create a mental image such as “who let the cat out of the bag”
Pretend that you are a teacher in a school where a “non standard dialect” is spoken by all of the pupils. Give two reasons why the school should try to teach the pupils to speak the standard dialect of English.	1.) To facilitate literacy, 2.) going outside of linguistic community 3.) to help people achieve comprehension amongst one another 4.)to achieve success in jobs, college, etc.
Give 2 reason why the school should not teach the children to speak a dialect other than their own	1.) Language and identity inextricality 2.)creates outsiders 3.)risk of language loss 4.) making the individual feel like there’s something wrong with her 4.) it allows privileged speakers to get off easy
Word (pronunciation) variability:	When a particular word varies in pronunciation. E.g. tomato, greasy, route
Sound variability:	When a phoneme differs in pronunciation. E.g. /r/ in New York accent or “th” in AAVE
Contrast variability:	When variation in the sound contrasts are made. E.g. Mary, marry, merry or don, dawn
Phonotactic variability:	Variations in which phonemes are added or deleted when compared to informal standard English
Stress variability:	Variations in stress. More from American to British varieties, e.g. laboratory.
Intonation variability:	Variability in intonation. Dialects differ on use of intonation on “wh” questions. Most drop at end but some rise. AAVE allows more intonation than white English
Vowel chain shifts:	Systematic changes in vowel systems in which the vowels shift in respect of their articulatory features. Northern or Southern vowel shifts, e.g. “he caught a cod”
Vowel merger:	Neutralize features & phonemic distinctions are lost, thus 2- sounds become more like each other. E.g. caught, cot -or- don, dawn
Variations in /r/ production	Variations in /r/ usage. Absence: car  /ka˜ə/ Weakening: less retroflection of the tongue & preservation
Choose 1- dialect & describe its major characteristics: Midland:	Lax of the ling-high vowels, e.g. /i/  /I?. Dipthongal quality is maintained. South Midland  fronting of /oU/ which sounds like caret
When collecting a sample for transcription, what are the best procedures?	Try to transcribe articulation, describe context of correct and incorrect production, look for patterns
Substitution:	When a person substitutes one sound for another e.g. r  w
Omission:	Omission of sound, usually with the final consonant e.g. r Ǿ/f
Distortion:	Non phonemic substitutions, e.g. r  r (velarized)
If the teacher does not understand the phonetic-alphabetic relationships in our language, how do you think this will affect the students?	If the teacher doesn’t understand the phonemic-alphabetic relationships he/she will not be able to convey it to the students thus impeding on the likeliness of that child becoming a successful reader
If children are taught to read without instruction in the phonetic-alphabetic code, what problems might they encounter?	They will have difficulty figuring the sound  spelling correspondence needed to sound out words.
Describe an activity to foster phonological awareness in a preschool child.	Teach them to break sentences down by words and/or teach them to break words down into symbols.
What do children’s invented spellings tell us about segmentation problems in our language?	Children’s invented spellings show the difficulty of certain speech sound sequences, like the segmentation of consonant blends. Children may perceive a word beginning with “dr” as beginning with “j” e.g. dragon  jragin.