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Understanding Phoneme Neutralization

Neutralization is a phonological process where the distinction between two phonemes is lost in a particular environment. In English, many phoneme distinctions are neutralized in unstressed syllables or word-finally. Examples include the loss of voicing distinction for stops like /p/ and /b/ word-finally, and the loss of lax vs. tense vowel distinction word-finally, so words like "happy" and "baby" are homophonous. Neutralization makes pronunciation easier for speakers and results in phonological contrasts being cancelled in certain contexts.

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27 views12 pages

Understanding Phoneme Neutralization

Neutralization is a phonological process where the distinction between two phonemes is lost in a particular environment. In English, many phoneme distinctions are neutralized in unstressed syllables or word-finally. Examples include the loss of voicing distinction for stops like /p/ and /b/ word-finally, and the loss of lax vs. tense vowel distinction word-finally, so words like "happy" and "baby" are homophonous. Neutralization makes pronunciation easier for speakers and results in phonological contrasts being cancelled in certain contexts.

Uploaded by

Mega Septiawanti
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Neutralization

• Dicky Mahendra
Group 6
Saputra
• Izza Maulia
• Mega Septiawanti
What is neutralization?
Neutralization is when
a phonemic distinction
disappears in a
particular phonological
context.

2
Phoneme neutralization is a common process in
the languages of the world. English is one
language which provides many examples of this
phonological process. Many of the English
phonemes which undergo neutralization are
vowels and they often undergo neutralization in
unstressed word-final position.
3
The Function
The function is to make
the word easier for the
speaker to pronounce (a
goal which, of course,
competes with concision
and with clarity for the
listener). Or, in another
words, its function is to
make a sequence of
sounds more “natural”
(more “default like”, or, in
the technical language of 4
linguistics, “less
Neutralizaton is a
phonological process in
which the distinction
between two phonemes is
lost in a particular
enviroment. In another
words, it is the process
that results in the
cancellation of contrast
between phonological 5
For example, the contrast
between /t/ and /d/ is lost
or neutralised when they
occure intervocalically.
Similiarly, the syllable
final stops /b,d,g/ are
devoiced.
As a result the contrast
between /p/ and /b/ as in
[cap] and [cab] is lost or
neutralized. And also 6
 The neutralization of the
distinction between words
like “witch” and “which”,
where the initial consonant,
rather than being voiced in
“witch” and voiceless in
“which” is treated as voiced
in both, so that the words
become homophones. 7
The words "hit" and
"heat" have the lax high
front unrounded and
tense high front
unrounded vowels. In
word final position, this
contrast is also
neutralized. In the words
"baby" and "happy," only
the tense vowel occurs. In 8
The words "pull" and "pool" also
exemplify the contrast between
lax and tense. In "pull," the
high back rounded vowel is lax
while in "pool" it is tense. In
word-final position, however,
only the tense vowel occurs.
This is the case in the words
9
The contrast between lax and tense vowels
also occurs in "let" and "late." In word-final
position, only the tense vowel occurs as in
"play" and "they."

The words "hit," "cup" and "ten" have


different vowels. However, before the rhotic
approximant, this contrast is neutralized.
The vowels of "fir," "fur" and "fern" are the
same. The notable exception to this rule is
certain dialects of Scotland and Ireland in
which the contrast is preserved.

The liquids "l" and "r" contrast in many 10


In the English of many
speakers such as those of
Canada and the United
States, the contrast
between the voiced and
voiceless alveolar plosives is
neutralized between a
stressed vowel and an
unstressed one. The words
"medal" and "metal" and
"ladder" and "latter" cannot
be distinguished by 11
ThankYou

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