Table of Contents
- 1 Why a phonetic contrast in one language may be a phonemic contrast in another language?
- 2 Why are some speech sounds more difficult to produce and perceive than others?
- 3 Are phonemes shared between different languages?
- 4 What is the lack of invariance problem and in what way does it demonstrate that language is special?
Why a phonetic contrast in one language may be a phonemic contrast in another language?
Phonemic contrast refers to a minimal phonetic difference, that is, small differences in speech sounds, that makes a difference in how the sound is perceived by listeners, and can therefore lead to different mental lexical entries for words. …
Why are some speech sounds more difficult to produce and perceive than others?
As we listen to our caregivers speak, even before we can communicate on our own, our ability to perceive all of these sounds is impacted by the phonology, or sound system, of our first languages. This barrier to perception means that we have trouble making some of the speech sounds of other languages, too.
Why do we say that M and N are two phonemes in English?
The letters “M” and “N” are a little unique in English pronunciation as they are two of the three phonemes in English that are classified as nasal consonants. Both /m/ and /n/ are voiced consonants, where they differ is in their mouth positioning.
There are indeed similarities between phoneme inventories between different languages. Vowels tend use the vowel space in a kind of optimal way.
What is the lack of invariance problem and in what way does it demonstrate that language is special?
Lack of invariance refers to the idea that there is no reliable connection between the language phoneme and its acoustic manifestation in speech. The same word, or even single phoneme, can sound completely differently depending on many factors: 1) Individual differences.
When two phonemes occurring in a sequence and some aspect of one phoneme is taken or copied by other phoneme This process is called?
When two phonemes occur in sequence and some aspect of one phoneme is taken or copied by the other the process is known as “assimilation”. This process is occasioned by ease of articulation in everyday talk. For example, only vowel becomes nasal whenever it immediately precedes a nasal. E.g. can => I can go.