Alternation (linguistics)
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In linguistics, an alternation is the phenomenon of a phoneme or morpheme exhibiting variation in its phonological realization. Each of the various realizations is called an alternate. 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.
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[edit] 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 [ɪz], 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 [ɪz]. Examples:
- mass [mæs], plural masses [ˈmæsɪz]
- fez [fɛz], plural fezzes [ˈfɛzɪz]
- mesh [mɛʃ], plural meshes [ˈmɛʃɪz]
- mirage [mɪˈrɑʒ], plural mirages [mɪˈrɑʒɪz]
- church [tʃɝtʃ], plural churches [ˈtʃɝtʃɪz]
- bridge [brɪdʒ], plural bridges [ˈbrɪdʒɪz]
- Otherwise, if the preceding sound is voiceless, the plural marker takes the form [s]. Examples:
- mop [mɑp], plural mops [mɑps]
- mat [mæt], plural mats [mæts]
- pack [pæk], plural packs [pæks]
- cough [kɔf], plural coughs [kɔfs]
- myth [mɪθ], plural myths [mɪθs]
- Otherwise, the plural marker takes the form [z].
- dog [dɔg], plural dogs [dɔgz]
- glove [glʌv], plural gloves [glʌvz]
- ram [ræm], plural rams [ræmz]
- doll [dɑl], plural dolls [dɑlz]
- toe [toʊ], plural toes [toʊz]
[edit] Morphologically conditioned alternation
An example of a morphologically conditioned alternation is found in French, where many adjectives have a consonant at the end in the feminine gender that is missing in the masculine:[2]
- masculine petit [pəti], feminine petite [pətit] "small"
- masculine grand [gʁɑ̃], feminine grande [gʁɑ̃d] "big"
- masculine gros [gʁo], feminine grosse [gʁos] "tall"
- masculine joyeux [ʒwajø], feminine joyeuse [ʒwajøz] "merry"
- masculine franc [fʁɑ̃], feminine franche [fʁɑ̃ʃ] "sincere"
- masculine bon [bɔ̃], feminine bonne [bɔn] "good"
[edit] 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"
[edit] References
- ^ Cohn, Abigail (2001). "Phonology", in in Mark Aronoff and Janie Rees-Miller (eds.),: The Handbook of Linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 202–203. ISBN 0-631-20497-0.
- ^ Steriade, Donca (1999). "Lexical conservatism in French adjectival liaison", in in Jean-Marc Authier, Barbara E. Bullock and Lisa A. Reed (eds.),: Formal Perspectives in Romance Linguistics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 243–70. ISBN 90-272-3691-3.
- ^ Green, Antony D. (2006). "The independence of phonology and morphology: The Celtic mutations". Lingua 116: 1946–85. ISSN 0024-3841.
