Phonological Processes LIN 3201

Phonological Processes There are several processes that affect the phonetic realizations of phonemes in different contexts. In other words, there are several general processes which result in different allophones of the same phoneme.

Process # 1 – Assimilation A sound becomes more like a neighboring sound in articulatory terms Voicing assimilation: Japanese vowel phonemes are realized as voiceless between two voiceless vowels English approximants are realized as voiceless after a voiceless consonant Vowel Nasalization: English vowels are nasalized when they are directly before a nasal consonant Palatalization: Sound becomes palatalized when realized before the palatal glide [j], or the vowels [i] or [e]

Process # 2 – Dissimilation A sound becomes less like a neighboring sound in articulatory terms Some dialects of English: break up word-final fricatives – fricative cluster realized as fricative-stop cluster Greek: fricative cluster realized as fricative-stop cluster

Process # 3 – Insertion (Epenthesis) Segment is inserted within an existing string of segments Turkish borrowed words: [tiren] ‘train’ [kulYp] ‘club’ English: insertion common between nasal & fricative clusters

Process # 4 – Deletion (Elision) Segment is deleted from existing string of segments French: l’air j’ai English: Fast speech examples

Process # 5 – Strengthening (Fortition) A sound is realized as a stronger sound (aspirated stop > stop > fricative > flap> approximant > vowel) English: aspirated allophones of voiceless consonants word-initially

Process # 6 – Weakening (Lenition) A sound is realized as a weaker sound (aspirated stop > stop > fricative > flap> approximant > vowel) English: allophones of /t/ and /d/ realized as flaps between stressed & unstressed vowels