Phonology: case studies

The phonology of a language consists of the patterns of distribution of its speech categories. Phonological analysis is the process of determining what those patterns are, how they can be represented, and why they are the way they are.

This site provides a basic introduction for students learning how to do phonological analysis. The first part (Introduction) gives a basic run-through of what a phonological pattern is, what kinds of patterns there are, and ways of coming up with an analysis of those patterns. The subsequent parts (Kinyarwanda, Turkish, Catalan) provide case studies of phonological analysis in four particular languages, with soundfiles and references. These case studies are inspired by the excellent ones in Kenstowicz and Kisseberth's classic (1979) textbook. This resource can be used in conjunction with a textbook on phonology, such as Kenstowicz (1994), Jensen (2004), or Odden (2005)

References

Jensen, J. (2004). Principles of Generative Phonology: An Introduction. John Benjamins, Amsterdam.

Kenstowicz, M. (1994). Phonology in Generative Grammar. Blackwell, Cambridge.

Kenstowicz, M. and C. Kisseberth (1979). Generative Phonology: Description and Theory. Academic, San Diego.

Odden, D. (2005). Introducing Phonology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.