English Consonants as Units of the Phonological System

Sounds can function as units of language only if they differ from one another. Mutually distinctive speech sounds are called phonemes. As has been pointed out the main method of establishing phonemes of a given language is the commutation test or discovery of minimal pairs through which the establishment of the phonemic status of each sound is accomplished.

When in a contrastive pair one consonant phoneme is opposed to any other consonant phoneme in at least one position, this pair is called mini­mal. For example, in the minimal pair pen — Ben the phoneme /p/ is opposed to the phoneme /b/ due to energy difference. All voiced conso­nants are weak (lenis), and all voiceless are strong (fortis). It is evident as a distinctive feature in the intervocalic position: writer — reader. If there are more than one distinctive feature in a pair, it is called sub-minimal. For example, the pair treasure — pressure is sub-minimal because the opposi­tion is due to: (1) the presence and absence of voice in the /3 — ς/ pho­nemes, (2) forelingual articulation of the /t/ phoneme and bilabial articula­tion of the /p/ phoneme. All the other features are distinctively irrelevant. Minimal pairs occur in identical, sub-minimal in similar environments.

It should be borne in mind that distinctively irrelevant features can be of two types: incidental, which may or may not be present in a phoneme, and such, without which the phoneme can't exist at all. For example, the presence or absence of voice in the word final consonants /c, з/ in the Russian рос — роз is a genuinely incidental or redundant feature, where­as the forelingual articulation of /t/ and the bilabial articulation of /p/ arerelevant differentiatory features. Palatalization is phonemically irrelevant, incidental in English and relevant in Russian, etc.

The phonological analysis of the system of English consonant phonemes helps to establish 24 phonemes:

/p, b, t, d, k, g, f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ς, 3, h, tς, d3, m, n, ŋ, w, r, j, 1/

Classificatory principles suggested by Russian phoneticians provide the basis for the establishment of the following distinctive oppositions inthe system of consonants of the English language.

1. Work of the Vocal Cords and the Force of Exhalation

Voiceless — fortis vs. voiced — lenis

/ p— b/ pen — Ben /t — d/ ten — den /k — g/ coat — goat

Voiceless — voiced opposition is simultaneously based on fortis — lenis distinction. It is not so in the Russian language where the voiceless — voiced opposition is based only on the presence or absence of voice. If we compare the English /p, t, k, b, d, g/ and the Russian /п, т, к, б, д, г/, we may state that in the initial position the English /b, d, g/ are weakly voiced, the Russian /б, д, г/ are fully voiced:

book — бук goose — гусь deem — Дима

In English /p, t, k/ in the initial position are aspirated fortis, in Russian /п, т, к/ are unaspirated, therefore in English the /p — b, t — d, k — g/ oppositions are based on breath-force distinction, whereas in Russian, the pairs /n — б, т — д, к — г/ differ due to voice — absence of voice distinction (but not in the final position).

in English

tip — dip come — gum plead — bleed

tea — Dee cot — got peach — beach

tear — dear cane — gain pat — bat

in Russian

тал — дал кот — год пой — бой

тол — дол кит — гид пей — бей

2. Active Organ of Speech and the Place of Articulation

This principle of consonant classification provides the basis for the following distinctive oppositions:

(1) Labial vs. lingual

pane — cane bun — ton fame — tame

In these pairs the labial bilabial /p/ is opposed to the lingual backlingual velar /k/; the labial bilabial /b/ is opposed to the lingual forelingual appical /t/; the labial labio-dental /f/ is opposed to the lingual forelingual apical /t/.

(2) Lingual vs. pharyngeal (glottal)

Tim—him this — hiss foam — home care — hair

In these pairs the lingual forelingual apical /t/ is opposed to the pharingal /h/; the lingual forelingual apical interdental /ð/ is opposed to pharyngal /h/; the labial labio-dental /f/ is opposed to the pharyngal /h/; the lingual backlingual velar /k/ is opposed to the pharyngal /h/.

Within the group of labial, bilabial may be opposed to labio-dental.

wear — fair mice — vice

In these pairs the bilabial /w/ is opposed to the labio-dental /f/; the bilabial /m/ is opposed to the labio-dental /v/.

Within the group of forelingual, apical may be opposed to cacuminal.

dim — rim

In this pair the apical forelingual alveolar /d/ is opposed to the cacuminal forelingual alveolar /r/.

Within the group of lingual, forelingual can be opposed to mediolingual.

tongue — young jet — yet

In these pairs the forelingual (apical alveolar) /t/ is opposed to the mediolingual (palatal) /j/;

the forelingual (apical palato-alveolar) /d3/ is opposed to the mediolingual (palatal) /j/.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-06