The Phonetics and Phonology of Contrast

The Phonetics and Phonology of Contrast
Author :
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages : 214
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9783110362770
ISBN-13 : 3110362775
Rating : 4/5 (70 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Phonetics and Phonology of Contrast by : Margaret E. L. Renwick

Download or read book The Phonetics and Phonology of Contrast written by Margaret E. L. Renwick and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2014-09-12 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book proposes that phonological contrast, in particular the robustness of a phonemic contrast, does not depend solely on the presence of minimal pairs, but is instead affected by a set of phonetic, usage-based, and systemic factors. This perspective opens phonology to a more direct interpretation through phonetic analysis, undertaken in a series of case studies on the Romanian vowel system. Both the synchronic phonetics and morpho-phonological alternations are studied, to understand the forces that have historically shaped and now maintain the phonemic system of Romanian. A corpus study of phoneme type frequency in Romanian reveals marginal contrasts among vowels, in which a sharp distinction between allophones and phonemes fails to capture relationships among sounds. An investigation of Romanian /Ɨ/ provides insight into the historical roots of marginal contrast, and a large acoustic study of Romanian vowels and diphthongs is a backdrop for evaluating the phonetic and perceptual realization of marginal contrast. The results provide impetus for a model in which phonology, phonetics, morphology and perception interact in a multidimensional way.


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