Phonology: Writing Phonological Rules 1.1

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This exercise is designed as a review of the basic components of writing phonological rules. Before attempting this exercise, you may want to read the tutorial The Basics of Phonology. For each question, decide whether the statement is true or false.

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Question 1

Select the best response.

Forward slashes / / represent the abstract sound segment that the speaker thinks s/he is articulating.

A	False Hint: Forward slashes / / represent the broad transcription of sounds, otherwise referred to as the underlying representation. This is the abstract representation that the speaker believes s/he is producing.
B	True

Question 2

Select the best response.

Language-specific phonological rules influence why speakers may display a foreign accent when speaking a foreign language.

A	False Hint: A foreign accent can be heard when a speaker carries over the phonological rules from his/her language to a second language, that does not possess the same rule. Ex: In Spanish /z/ does not exist. Thus a Spanish speaker will pronounce /ɹejzɹ/ 'razor' as [resor]. Note that a Spanish speaker could also articulate diphthong /ej/ as [e] and the /ɹ/ as [r].
B	True

Question 3

Select the best response.

Natural classes help identify and describe a group of phonemes to the extent that all other phonemes are excluded.

A	True
B	False Hint: Natural classes help identify and describe a group of phonemes to the exclusion of all others. They are a list of features that only characterize the phonemes included in the brackets. Standard English ex: [stops, -vce] → [p, t, k] or [-cont, -del. rel., -vce] There are no other voiceless stops in Standard English.

Question 4

Select the best response.

The phonemic form is the same as the surface form.

True

Hint:

The phonemic form is the abstract concept of a phoneme that the speaker has in his/her mind represented by / /. The phonetic form is the surface form, or that which is actually articulated during natural speech. This is also called the underlying representation. The surface form represents how the sound(s) are actually produced in natural speech and sis surrounded by brackets: [ ]. For example speakers of Southern Congo will have /t/ as the underlying representation however in certain phonological environments the /t/ will surface (or be pronounced) as [t∫]. This can be represented by the following structure: /tinɑ/ becomes [tʃinɑ]’to cut’ /t/ (abstract concept in the mind of the speaker) / \ [t] [t∫]

False

Question 5

Select the best response.

‘Free variation’ refers to when a surface form of a sond may or may not be realized depending on variables such as speech of speaking or casual/formal speech.

A	False Hint: This is true. For example, when articulating more carefully in formal speech, one is more likely to pronounce /s/ at the end of the word 'yes' [jεs] or [yεs]. whereas as in informal speech, the /s/ is deleted and the [jε] or [yε].
B	True

Question 6

Select the best response.

When analyzing data, the first step in writing a phonological rule is finding the meaning of the words/phrases.

A	True Hint: When analyzing data, the first step in writing a phonological rule is determining which of the variation seen in the data is the underlying representation.
B	False

Question 7

Select the best response.

The symbol ‘ / ’ means ‘after any phoneme’.

A	False
B	True Hint: The symbol ‘ / ’ means ‘in the environment of.’ Ex: /o/ → [+nasal] / ____ C [+nasal] /o/ becomes nasal 'in the environment' where it precedes a nasal consonant.

Question 8

Select the best response.

A phonemic form may undergo several rules before the phonetic form is realized.

True/False

A	False Hint: This is true. For example, in Standard English in the production of the word 'memory', the [ͻ] is reduced to schwa since it is found in a non-stressed syllable. However, after this reduction rule takes place, the schwa can undergo a deletion rule in which is not pronounced at all. /mεmͻɹi/ → /mεməɹi/ → [mεmɹi]
B	True

Question 9

Select the best response.

The subscript ‘₀’ as in ‘C₀’ means all consonants.

A	True Hint: The subscript ‘0’ as in ‘C0’ means any number of consonants. Ex: [+syll] → [+back] / [+syll][+back] C0 _____ ‘A vowel becomes [+back] when it is preceded by a [+back] vowel, with any number of consonants between.’ This rule is seen in languages that have vowel harmony.
B	False

Question 10

Select the best response.

The symbol ‘→’ in rule writing means ‘becomes.’

A	True
B	False Hint: This is true. For example, the rule ‘a stop becomes fricative’ would be written as [-son, -cont, -del rel] → [+cont]

Question 11

Which of the following symbolize the phonological environment 'intervocallic'?

A	VC___ Hint: This symbolizes the phonological environment 'following a vowel consonant sequence'.
B	C___C Hint: This symbolizes the phonological environment 'inter-consonantal' or 'between consonants'.
C	V___V

Question 12

Select the Select the best response.

A phonological segment (or sound) may only be a member of one major class.

A	False
B	True Hint: All phonological segments (or sounds) are composed of several major classes. Ex: [m] and [n] are [-cont, +son] [g] is [-cont, -son] [l] is [+son, +cont]

Question 13

Select the best response. The symbols ___$ describe the phonological environment word final.

A	False
B	True Hint: This is false. The symbols ___$ describe the phonological environment syllable final. The symbols ____# describe the phonological environment word final.

Question 14

Select the best response.

Distinct phonemes cannot found in complementary distribution.

A	True Hint: This is false. Distinct phonemes are sound segments that can surface in the same phonological environment as in minimal pairs ('tip'/'dip') however they can also be found in complementary distribution as in the case of the plural allomorphs [s, z] as in /bʌgz/ vs. /bajks/, or past tense [t, d] as in /lʊkt/ vs, /gɹɪnd/.
B	False

Question 15

Select the best response.

Allophones are always found in complementary distribution.

A	True
B	False Hint: This is true. Allophones are two or more surface forms of one underlying form that never surface in the same phonological environment.

Question 16

Select the best response.

The symbols #___ describe the phonological environment word final.

A	True Hint: The symbols #___ describe the phonological environment word initial. '#' marks the word boundary, in this case the beginning of the word, and '___' represents the first sound of that word.
B	False

Question 17

Select the best response.

Brackets [ ] represent the abstract sound segment that the speaker thinks s/he is articulating.

A	True Hint: This is false. Brackets [ ] represent the narrow transcription of sounds, otherwise referred to as the surface form. This is the actual articulation of a sound in natural speech.
B	False

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Phonology: Writing Phonological Rules 1.1

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