Phonotactics

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Phonotactics is the branch of phonology that relates to the combination of sound segments to form larger units. Here, 'phonology' means both phonology and phonetics , since phonotactics can be analyzed on both levels. The more comprehensive units can be purely phonetic units such as the syllable and the phonological word as well as meaningful units such as the morpheme .

The term phonotactics was coined in 20th century linguistics. The adjective phonotactic is composed of the elements of Greek origin phono- "sound" and tactical "concerning the position / arrangement". From this the noun phonotactic is abstracted. The terms phonotagmatic and phonosyntax also occur.

In phonology, phonotactics is next to phonematics , which deals with the phonemes as the smallest sound segments of the language system. Occasionally these two sub-disciplines are separated from each other by the criterion that phonematics deals with the paradigmatic and phonotactics with the syntagmatic relationships of phonetic units. Such a conception is inherent in the word phonotactics . In fact, however, linguistic units of all levels of complexity - including phonemes and syllables - have both paradigmatic and syntagmatic relationships to other units. So the difference between phonematics and phonotactics lies more in the level of complexity (phonemes vs. larger units) on which they focus.

Units of a certain phonological level, e.g. B. Phonemes combine to form units of the next higher level, here the syllable. Rules and restrictions apply over these combinations. In standard German z. For example, a / k / at the beginning of the syllable can be followed by another consonant of a certain category, in particular a / r / as in Krug or a / l / as in klug . It could also be a / n /, because there is no knug ; but as you can see from Knust , from a purely phonotactic point of view it could exist (it is a possible syllable and therefore a possible word). On the other hand, the initial / k / cannot be followed by / t /, and consequently there can be no ktug . The example also shows that / l / and / r / have a similar distribution in German , but / t / a different one.

Phonotactic restrictions on the structure of the syllable are syllable structure conditions. Phonotactic restrictions on the structure of the morpheme are morpheme structure conditions. The syllable structure conditions of a language are often looser than the morpheme structure conditions. In German z. B. the consonant group / dl / is allowed in the syllable initial sound, for example in words like handle . But there is no morpheme that begins that way; the morphemes of handle are {handel-} and {-e}. There are also syllables like / ists / whose coda consists of the consonant group / sts /. But there is no morpheme with this structure; is it consists of at least two morphemes.

See also

literature

  • T. Alan Hall: Phonology. An introduction. de Gruyter, Berlin & New York 2000, ISBN 3-11-015641-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joan B. Hooper: An introduction to natural generative phonology. Academic Press, New York NY et al. 1976, ISBN 0-12-354750-4 .
  2. ↑ George N. Clements, Samuel Jay Keyser: CV Phonology. A generative theory of the syllable (= Linguistic Inquiry Monographs. Vol. 9). MIT Press, Cambridge, MA et al. 1983, ISBN 0-262-03098-5 .
  3. ^ T. Alan Hall: Phonology. An introduction. de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2000, ISBN 3-11-015641-5 , p. 211