Blog Entry #91
Despite English being a unique and whimsical language, it still adheres to certain rules. Apart from grammar, there are multiple components that all work together to create meaningful communication among individuals. These which concern the structure of language, are phonemes, morphemes, lexemes, syntax, and context. Phonotactics on the other hand, is a branch of phonology, related to sonority. Phonotactics are restrictions on the types of sounds that are allowed to occur next to each other or in particular positions in the word
Phonotactic constraints restrict the ways in which syllables can be created in a language. Languages do not allow random sequences of sounds; rather, the sound sequences a language allows are a systematic and predictable part of its structure. Syllables in a word can be split into an onset, nucleus and coda. Onset and coda are optional whereas the nucleus is obligatory.
Let’s look at certain simple rules:
English: 'bl’ is a permissible sequence at the start of a syllable, it cannot occur at the end of one
Conversely, 'nk' is permitted at the end, but not the start
Japanese: consonant clusters like 'st’ cannot occur
German: 'lt' is not allowed at the start, but is allowed at the end
No comments:
Post a Comment