Minimal Pairs
Minimal Pairs
Minimal Pairs
PHONEME // : A group of phone-types which are phonetically similar and either in complementary distribution or in free variation (Francis, 1958: 176)
ALLOPHONES: different phone types that make up a phoneme (THAT belong to a phoneme) (Francis, 1958: 122)
Free variation : when two or more phones or phonemes can occur in the same position in a word without changing the meaning : /i:/ and /e/ in the pronunciations of economics: /i:kcn]mwks/ vs. /ekcn]mwks/; /e/ and /e/ in the pronunciations of again / en/ vs. /ein/ Complementary distribution: allophones which never occur in the same context, i.e. in the one context one allophone occurs and in another the other one occurs : pill [ph] - spill [p]
MINIMAL PAIR:
A minimal pair is a pair of words with ONE phonemic difference only ( two words that differ in only one sound.): beat /bi:t/ vs. feet /fi:t/ bit beat; pain gain; hit hip
Making minimal pairs is a method that can be used to work out whether two different sounds in a certain language are allophones or different phonemes
identifying
Illustrate the English phonemic contrasts at the left with minimal pairs, one exhibiting the contrast in initial position and the other in final position, if possible
talk chalk - /t/ vs. voiceless affricate top chop Tin chin tease cheese silly chilly - /s/ vs. voiceless affricate search church soak choke sat chat late lace - stops vs. palatal fricative and affricates road rose mat match
deer tear- voiced vs. voiceless alveolar stops dent> tent | dent tent
voiced vs. voiceless affricates dn tn | gin chin voiceless velar stops vs. alveolar stops car tar cap tap key tea call tall corn torn
voiced velar vs. voiced alveolar stops |ez| dez| gaze daze (days) |d| go doe (dough) rp|drp| grip drip a|da| gate date |et det| | a da Guy die (dye)
Kp p< |