BBSQ5112 Disorders of articulation and phonology

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BBSQ5112 Disorders of articulation and phonology

• Lecture 8 Nonlinear phonology an introduction

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Whats wrong with linear phonology?

• Sounds in a speech stream are related to each
  other in more complex ways than just linearly
  e.g. consonant harmony processes
• All segments and all features are equally complex
  and important, so theres no reason to suppose
  that some more than others should be the targets
  for deletion or substitution
• We know that segments can be partially elided
  (e.g. syllable weakening), so its not the case
  that only whole segments are the locus of
  deletion processes
• Features do not behave as if they segments

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So what shall we do about it?

• Come up with a theoretical framework which
• has something to say about the relations between
  sounds in speech
• does not assign any particular importance to
  segments (over features)
• Can account for the apparent independence of
  features and segments

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Nonlinear phonology

• Emphasizes the role of groupings of segments into
  syllables and feet
• Maintains that features are independent from each
  other (nature and timing)
• Seems to capture (describe and explain)
  observations about childrens phonology more
  precisely than earlier theories
• Allows us to look at what is possible for the
  child, and what is missing form the childs
  system that needs to be there

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Syllable and word structure

• Segments ? syllables
• Syllables ? feet
• Feet ? prosodic words
• Syllable smallest grouping of segments
• Syllable peak usually a vowel
• Consonants prior to the peak ONSET
• Consonants after the peak CODA
• Syllable with no coda OPEN
• Syllable with a coda CLOSED
• Peak Coda Rime
• Onset Rime Syllable (s)

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s
rime
onset
peak
coda
s
t
I
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Sonority hierarchy

• Vowels have highest sonority
• Then glide
• liquid
• nasal
• voiced fricative
• voiceless fricative
• voiced affricate
• voiceless affricate
• voiced stop
• voiceless stop
• Peak of syllable peak of sonority
• Sonority decreases hierarchically towards
  syllable edges
• Clump
• S-clusters violate sonority hierarchy

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Intervocalic consonants

• If there is only one intervocalic consonant, it
  is the onset of syllable 2, NOT the coda of
  syllable 1
• If syllable 2 carries primary stress, the
  intervocalic consonant is definitely the onset of
  syllable 2
• If there is more than one intervocalic consonant,
  place as many as possible in the second onset
• /nVmb_at_ / /Vgli/

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Child errors

• When children are making errors, they could
  actually be making repairs fixing sound
  sequences so that they are legal in their system

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Feet and stress

• Some syllables are stressed (Strong), and others
  are unstressed (weak)
• A foot one stressed syllable, with or without
  another unstressed syllable
• A foot with stress on the first syllable
  TROCHAIC (left-prominent, Sw)
• A foot with stress on the second syllable
  IAMBIC (right-prominent, wS)

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Feet and stress

• Unstressed vowels schwa
• Unstressed vowels may not be diphthongal or too
  long
• The vowels /E/, /U/, /V/ never occur unstressed

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Child constraints

• A target word might have too few syllables - e.g.
  the child thinks all feet must have two syllables
• up ? up_at_ ketchup ? k E tS _at_ p
• A target word might have too many syllables
  e.g. two unstressed syllables
• banana ? nana
• or the unstressed syllable might be in the
  wrong place
• balloon ? lun OR bVl_at_n

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Prosodic words

• Feet are always incorporated into higher level
  units prosodic words
• A prosodic word containing two or more feet has
  only one syllable with primary stress

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Prosodic Word
Foot
Foot
s
s
s
s
S_at_n
neI
haI
b_at_
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Child constraints

• Languages often have an upper bound on the length
  of words one foot (two syllables) or two feet
  (four syllables)
• Children may have the same constraints
• Repair reduce long words to a single foot by
  deleting a foot (one or more syllables)
• hippopotamus ? pAm_at_s
• kangaroo ? kNg_at_
• protein ? poU

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Prosodic Word
Foot
Foot
s
s
s
u
g_at_
kn
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Prosodic Word
Foot
s
s
g_at_
kn