The Linguistic Structure of Modern English | Brinton & Brinton

CHAPTER 3
English Phonology, Phonotactics, and
Suprasegmentals

Exercise 3.1 Phonemic Rules

1. Consider the following English words containing the phoneme /ɡ/.

[ləɡwun] [g̟ æf] [ɡwɔɪɾər]
[bræɡ] [frɑɡ] [ɡwus]
[iɡər] [ɡaʊn] [g̟ eɪt]
[ɡɑn] [ɡloʊ] [ɡʌɾər]
w
[ɡ oʊt] [g̟ is] [ɡreɪd]
[æŋɡər]
a. List the allophones of /ɡ/.
b. State in words the environment in which each allophone is found.
c. Write a phonemic rule for /g/, listing one allophone as “elsewhere”.
2. Consider the following English words containing the phoneme /r/.
[fr̥ i] [rwoʊd] [rwut]
[tr̥ aɪ] [bɔrdr̩ ] [pɑrt]
[mɛri] [pir] [braɪd]
[rʌf] [pr̥ əfɛsr̩ ] [dreɪn]
w
[ər oʊz] [əraɪz] [sɔrwoʊ]
[hæmr̩ ] [rʌnr̩ ] [fɪlr̩ ]
a. List the allophones of /r/.
b. State in words the environment in which each allophone is found.
c. Write a phonemic rule for /r/, listing one allophone as “elsewhere”.
3. Consider the following English words containing the phoneme /k/.
[kʌpəl] [kwoʊt] [kwulər]
[ɑk̚ teɪn] [k̟ eɪm] [mæsk]
[mɑk̚ t] [k̟ æmərə] [sɪkən]
[skərt] [lʊk̟ ɪŋ] [sɪk̟ ɪl]
[loʊkəl] [kaʊ] [kloʊz]
a. List the allophones of /k/.
b. State in words the environment in which each allophone is found.
c. Write a phonemic rule for /k/, listing one allophone as “elsewhere”.
4. Consider the following English words containing the phoneme /l/.
[pl̥ eɪs] [lwoʊn] [laʊd]
[hɑɫoʊ] [leɪm] [jɛɫoʊ]
[fl̥ eɪm] [kɝɫ] [læf]
[lwɔɪtr̩ ] [tɛlɪŋ] [kl̥ aɪm]
[tʌnl̩ ] [mɪdl̩ ] [sl̥ æp]
[mɛlən] [ʃʌvl̩ ] [pɪkl̩ ]
[lwunər] [əlaɪv] [lɛs]
[tɛɫ] [lɪtl̩ ] [hɛɫp]
a. List the allophones of /l/.
b. State in words the environment in which each allophone is found.
c. Write a phonemic rule for /l/, listing one allophone as “elsewhere”.

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1. a. [ ɡw ] [ g̟ ] [ ɡ ]

b. [ ɡw ] occurs before rounded vowels

[ g̟ ] occcurs before front vowels
[ ɡ ] occurs initially before consonants and central and back unrounded vowels, word
medially and word finally

c. [ ɡw ] / — Vorounded
/ɡ/→ [ g̟ ] / — Vofront
[ ɡ ] / elsewhere

2. a. [ r̥ ] [ rw ] [ r̩ ] [ r ]
 b. [ r̥ ] occurs following voiceless consonants
[ rw ] occurs before rounded vowels
[ r̩ ] occurs following consonants word finally
[r] occurs before front and central vowels, word medially in the environment of front
vowels, preconsonantally, and word finally

c. [ r̥ ] / Cvl—
[ rw ] / — Vorounded
/r/→
[ r̩ ] / C—#
[r] / elsewhere

3. a. [ kw ] [ k̚ ] [ k̟ ] [ k ]

b. [ kw ] occurs before rounded vowels

[ k̚ ] occurs before other stops and word finally
[ k̟ ] occurs before front vowels
[k] occurs initially and medially before central vowels and consonants and following
/s/
(N.B. We are ignoring aspiration here. All of the allophones with the exception of [k_]
would also be aspirated in the proper environment.)

c. [ kw ] / — Vorounded
[ k̚ ] / — #, — Cstop
/k/→
[ k̟ ] / — Vofront
[k] / elsewhere

4. a. [ l̥ ] [ lw ] [ l̩ ] [ ɫ ] [ l ]
b. [ l̥ ]occurs following voiceless consonants
[ lw] occurs before rounded vowels
[ l̩ ]occurs following obstruents and nasals word finally
[ɫ] occurs following vowels and approximants, medially in the environment of back
vowels
[ l ] occurs before front and mid vowels, medially in the environment of mid and front
vowels
(N.B. syllabic [ l̩ ] is probably “dark” as well, hence [ ɫ̩ ].)

c. [ l̥ ] / Cvl —
[ lw ] / — Vorounded
/l/→ [ l̩ ] / CC#
[ɫ] / Vo —, Approx. —
[l] / elsewhere