Overview

This is a textbook intended for an introductory course in phonology. The central goal of such a course, we believe, should be the development of students’ abilities to analyze sound patterns in natural languages, hence the title, Analyzing Sound Patterns. By “analytical abilities,” we mean roughly the abilities to: (a) observe, identify, and describe patterns in the data; (b) form hypotheses and construct analyses of the patterns; (c) compare and evaluate competing hypotheses and analyses; (d) develop and evaluate linguistic arguments; and (e) draw conclusions from the analyses and explore their implications. This book is organized around phonological problems and analyses. It is designed to guide students step by step through the analysis, from observation to pattern discovery and from hypothesis formation to analyses and explanations. The book is problem- and analysis-driven rather than concept-driven. It is not organized according to key linguistic and phonological concepts. Key concepts are introduced, but they are embedded in the analyses.

This book consists of six units. They cover six broad areas of phonological study: (a) distribution; (b) alternation; (c) syllable; (d) tone; (e) stress; and (f) prosodic morphology. Unit 1 and Unit 2 focus on two main types of phonological patterns known as distribution (including complementary distribution) and alternation. These patterns are exemplified mostly with data from segmental phonology. These two units introduce a wide range of segmental phenomena from Kikuyu vowel co-occurrence to the distribution of English nasals, and from segment deletion in Tibetan and Tonkawa to assimilatory processes in English and Yawelmani. Starting with Unit 3, the book shifts to suprasegmental phenomena such as syllable, tone, or stress. These units build on earlier themes of distribution and alternation and extend the investigation to processes that affect domains larger than segments. Unit 3 and Unit 4, for instance, open with a chapter on syllable and tonal distribution followed by a chapter that investigates syllable-based and tonal alternations. These chapters not only reinforce the understanding of distribution and alternation but also expand it to new phenomena. They also make transparent the relations between segmental and suprasegmental problems.