Phonological oppositions in the system of English vowel and consonant phonemes.
Classificatory principles of English vowel and consonant phonemes provide the basis for establishing the distinctive oppositions.
Distinctive oppositions of English consonants
Classificatory principles and subclasses of phonemes
Types of oppositions
Examples
1. Work of the vocal cords:
- voiced [b, d, g, v, z, ð,3, d3, l, m, n, j, w, r, ŋ];
- voiceless [p, t, k, f, s, θ, ∫, t∫, h].
voiced – voiceless
The English consonants [l, m, n, j, w, r, ŋ, h] do not enter this opposition.
gum – come
dear – tear
bat – pat
jin – chin
thy – thigh
2. Position of the soft palate:
- nasal [m, n, ŋ];
- oral (all the rest).
oral – nasal
pit – pin
seek – seen
sick – sing
3. Active organ of speech and the place of articulation:
a) labial:
- bilabial [p, b, w, m];
- labio-dental [f, v];
b) lingual:
- forelingual [ð, θ, t, d, s, z, n, l, ∫, 3, d3, t∫];
- mediolingual [j];
- backlingual [k, g, ŋ];
c) glottal [h].
bat – that
fair – chair
chin – pin
pine – mine
same – lame
Distinctive oppositions of English vowels
Classificatory principles and subclasses of phonemes
Types of oppositions
Examples
1. Position of the lips:
- rounded [o, o:, u, u:];
- unrounded (all the rest).
rounded – unrounded
pot – pat
2. Stability of articulation:
- monophthongs [i, i:, u, u:, o, o:, e, ə, Λ, α:, æ, з:];
- diphthongs [ai, oi, ei, au, əu, εə, uə, iə].
monophthong – diphthong
bit – bait
but – bite
debt – doubt
bird – beard
3. Degree of tenseness, character of the end and length:
- tense, free and long [i:, u:, o:, α:, з:];
- lax, checked and short [i, u, o, æ, e, ə, Λ].
tense lax
free — checked
long short
peel – pill
4. Position of the tongue:
a) horizontal:
- front [i:, e, æ];
- front-retracted [i];
- central [з:, ə, Λ];
- back-advanced [u, α:];
- back [o, o:, u:];
b) vertical:
– high:
- narrow [i:, u:];
- broad [i, u];
– mid:
- narrow [ə];
- broad [e, o:, з:];
– low:
- narrow [Λ];
- broad [æ, α:, o:].
front – central
back – central
front – back
front – front-retracted
back – back-advanced
high – mid
low – mid
high – low
high narrow – high broad
mid narrow – mid broad
low narrow – low broad
cab – curb
pull – pearl
read – rod
bet – bit
card – cord
week – work
lack – lurk
big – bag
pool – pull
foreword – forward
bad – bard