Alternation (linguistics)
Sound change and alternation |
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Metathesis
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Lenition
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Fortition |
Epenthesis
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Elision
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Transphonologization
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Assimilation
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Dissimilation |
Sandhi
Synalepha
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Other types
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In linguistics, an alternation is the phenomenon of a morpheme exhibiting variation in its phonological realization. Each of the various realizations is called an alternant. The variation may be conditioned by the phonological, morphological, and/or syntactic environment in which the morpheme finds itself.
Alternations provide linguists with data that allow them to determine the allophones and allomorphs of a language's phonemes and morphemes and to develop analyses determining the distribution of those allophones and allomorphs.
Contents
1 Phonologically conditioned alternation
2 Alternation related to meaning
2.1 Morphologically conditioned alternation
2.2 Syntactically conditioned alternation
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
Phonologically conditioned alternation
An example of a phonologically conditioned alternation is the English plural marker commonly spelled s or es.[1] This morpheme is pronounced /s/, /z/, or /ᵻz/,[note 1] depending on the nature of the preceding sound.
- If the preceding sound is a sibilant consonant (one of /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, or /dʒ/), the plural marker takes the form /ᵻz/. Examples:
mass /ˈmæs/, plural masses /ˈmæsᵻz/
fez /ˈfɛz/, plural fezzes /ˈfɛzᵻz/
mesh /ˈmɛʃ/, plural meshes /ˈmɛʃᵻz/
mirage /mɪˈrɑːʒ/, plural mirages /mɪˈrɑːʒᵻz/
church /ˈtʃɜːrtʃ/, plural churches /ˈtʃɜːrtʃᵻz/
bridge /ˈbrɪdʒ/, plural bridges /ˈbrɪdʒᵻz/
- Otherwise, if the preceding sound is voiceless, the plural marker takes the likewise voiceless form /s/. Examples:
mop /ˈmɒp/, plural mops /ˈmɒps/
mat /ˈmæt/, plural mats /ˈmæts/
pack /ˈpæk/, plural packs /ˈpæks/
cough /ˈkɒf/, plural coughs /ˈkɒfs/
myth /ˈmɪθ/, plural myths /ˈmɪθs/
- Otherwise, the preceding sound is voiced, and the plural marker takes the likewise voiced form /z/.
dog /ˈdɒɡ/, plural dogs /ˈdɒɡz/
glove /ˈɡlʌv/, plural gloves /ˈɡlʌvz/
ram /ˈræm/, plural rams /ˈræmz/
doll /ˈdɒl/, plural dolls /ˈdɒlz/
toe /ˈtoʊ/, plural toes /ˈtoʊz/
Morphologically conditioned alternation
French has an example of morphologically conditioned alternation. The feminine form of many adjectives ends in a consonant sound that is missing in the masculine form. In spelling, the feminine ends in a silent e, while the masculine ends in a silent consonant letter:[2]
- masculine petit [pəti], feminine petite [pətit] "small"
- masculine grand [ɡʁɑ̃], feminine grande [ɡʁɑ̃d] "tall"
- masculine gros [ɡʁo], feminine grosse [ɡʁos] "big"
- masculine joyeux [ʒwajø], feminine joyeuse [ʒwajøz] "merry"
- masculine franc [fʁɑ̃], feminine franche [fʁɑ̃ʃ] "sincere"
- masculine bon [bɔ̃], feminine bonne [bɔn] "good"
Syntactically conditioned alternation
Syntactically conditioned alternations can be found in the Insular Celtic languages, where words undergo various initial consonant mutations depending on their syntactic position.[3] For example, in Irish, an adjective undergoes lenition after a feminine singular noun:
- unmutated mór [mˠoːɾˠ] "big", mutated in bean mhór [bʲan woːɾˠ] "a big woman"
In Welsh, a noun undergoes soft mutation when it is the direct object of a finite verb:
- unmutated beic [bəik] "bike", mutated in Prynodd y ddynes feic [ˈprənoð ə ˈðənɛs vəik] "The woman bought a bike"
See also
- Apophony
- Sandhi
- Allophone
Notes
^ The vowel of the inflectional suffix -⟨es⟩ may belong to the phoneme of either /ɪ/ or /ə/ depending on dialect, and ⟨ᵻ⟩ is a shorthand for "either /ɪ/ or /ə/". This usage of the symbol is borrowed from the Oxford English Dictionary.
References
^ Cohn, Abigail (2001). "Phonology". In Mark Aronoff; Janie Rees-Miller. The Handbook of Linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. pp. 202–203. ISBN 0-631-20497-0..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Steriade, Donca (1999). "Lexical conservatism in French adjectival liaison" (PDF). In Jean-Marc Authier; Barbara E. Bullock; Lisa A. Reed. Formal Perspectives in Romance Linguistics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. pp. 243–70. ISBN 90-272-3691-7.
^ Green, Antony D. (2006). "The independence of phonology and morphology: The Celtic mutations" (PDF). Lingua. 116 (11): 1946–1985. doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2004.09.002.
