PHONOLOGY
● How the sounds are turn into meaningful words
● Phonetic is the study how sounds are produced physically while for phonology
studies how they are turn into words
● Phonetics related to language in general while phonology related to specific
language
● Phonology examines aspects such as:
Phonemes, allphones, syllable structure, and stress and Intonation
● Phonemes:
The smallest units of sound that can change meaning (e.g., /p/ and /b/ in pat vs. bat).
There are 44 names in the English language which have already been discussed.
For example
My has two phonemes
has three phonemes
Magnificent has 11 phonemes
/m/ /æ/ /ɡ/ /n/ /ɪ/ /f/ /ɪ/ /s/ /ə/ /n/ /t/
● Allophones:
Variations of a phoneme that do not change meaning (e.g., the different ways /t/ is
pronounced in top vs. butter).
The different ways l is pronounced in “full” and “light”
● Syllable
a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants,
forming the whole or a part of a word; for example, there are two syllables in water
Syllables can be classified into different types
Monosyllabic:
A word with one syllable (e.g., cat, run, sun).
Disyllabic:
A word with two syllables (e.g., ta-ble, hap-py, wa-ter).
Polysyllabic:
A word with three or more syllables
3 syllables (el-e-phant, fan-tas-tic, pu-nish- ment)
4 syllables (in-for-ma-tion, un-ex-pect-ed, es-tab-lish-ment).
5 syllables (ad-mi-nis-tra-tion, de-ter-mi-na-tion, dis-a- bi-li-ty)
● Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
In spoken language, syllables within words are pronounced with varying degrees of
emphasis.
This leads to two main types of syllables:
1. Stressed Syllable
A stressed syllable is pronounced more strongly than the others in a word. It is typically:
Louder, Longer, Higher in pitch & More clearly articulated
Examples:
HAP-py (the first syllable is stressed)
Be-LIEVE (the second syllable is stressed)
ENG-lish (the first syllable is stressed)
2. Unstressed Syllable
An unstressed syllable is pronounced with less force. It is usually:
Softer, Shorter, Lower in pitch & Less distinct in pronunciation
Examples:
*a-*BOUT (the first syllable is unstressed)
po-TA-to (the first and last syllables are unstressed)
com-PU-ter (the first syllable is unstressed)
When there are more than one syllable in a word, at least one word has to be set stressed
The symbol of stress is higher vertical line, i symbol of unstress is lower vertical line as
,Ha’ppy
Rules for Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
Figuring out which syllables to stress is not always easy in English. Only native people can
learn it naturally. However, there are a few rules that can help you:
1
If the word is a two-syllable noun or adjective, the stress usually falls on the first syllable. For
example: PIzza, LAzy, BOttle, QUIet. WAter
2
If a word ends in -al, -cy, -ty, -phy, or -gy, the stress falls on the third from the last syllable.
For example: geneOLogy, LOgical, phoTOGraphy, Philosophy psychology manual
3
If a word ends in -ic, -sion, or -tion, the stress usually falls on the next to last syllable. For
example: atTRACtion, FUsion, BASic.
4
If a word is a two-syllable verb or preposition, the stress usually falls on the second syllable.
For example: beSIDE, aDAPT, reCEIVE.
Disclaimer
Naturally, these rules don’t cover every word in the English language (not even close!) and
most of these rules have exceptions. With many words, you will simply have to memorize
which syllables are stressed or unstressed.
● INTONATION
stress" refers to the emphasis placed on specific syllables within a word, while "intonation"
describes the rise and fall of pitch in a speaker's voice throughout a sentence.
TYPES OF INTONATION
Falling intonation
Rising intonation
Non-final intonation
Wavering intonation
Falling Intonation ( ) ↘️
The pitch falls at the end of the sentence.
Falling intonation is when we lower our voice at the end of a sentence
Used in statements, commands, and WH-questions.
Examples:
As statements
My name is sara
As questions
What's your name?
As commands
Sit down
Rising Intonation ( ↗️)
The pitch rises at the end of the sentence.
Used in yes/no questions, uncertainty, or surprise.
Examples:
Are you coming?
Not sure is he really coming today
That was amazing!
NON-FINAL INTONATION
In non-final intonation sentences, the pitch rises and falls within the senterice.
Used in expressing certainty, listing items, polite requests
Examples:
I bought apples, bananas, and oranges.
I will surely go there
Could you help me?
WAVERING INTONATION
There are few specific emotions when we use them in a sentence it's up to the native how to
use them as per as intonation is concerned
You did? (curious) (Stress is on did)
You did? (very surprised)(Stress is on you)
You did? (disappointed) (Stress is neither on you nor on did)
