This is an up-to-date introduction to phonological theory placed within the framework of current, mainstream generative phonology. The book is divided into two parts. The first introduces readers to basic concepts of articulatory phonetics,classical phonemics and standard generative phonology;the topics covered include distinctiveness, naturalness,abstractness and rule interaction.
The second part is devoted to current issues in phonological theory; both the nature and organisation of phonological representations in nonlinear generative phonology are explored. It discusses such areas as the role of the syllable in nonlinear generative phonology, metrical phonology and the study of stress, autosegmental approaches to tone, the place of intonation, lexical phonology and morphology, and the syntax-phonology interface viewed in terms of the domain of phonological rules.
With analytical exercises in each chapter and data taken from a wide range of languages, this book aims not so much to emphasise the history of phonological theory, but to develop the reader's understanding of contemporary phonological theory through a practical and accessible approach.
語音不僅是語言三個基本要素之一,而且還是第一基本要素。漢語的語音研究由來已久,但長久以來,在我國它卻一直作為一種以認讀字音、作詩吟曲等為目的的輔助性學問。進入20世紀,西方語音學理論與方法傳人我國后,才真正改變了中國傳統(tǒng)語音研究的理念與方法。一百多年來,經過我國幾代學者們的不懈努力與奮斗,我們逐漸形成了現(xiàn)代漢語的語音學理論與方法,并發(fā)表了一系列具有重要歷史影響的學術論文與論著。
但與此同時,也不得不承認:我們的語音學研究與英美等西方國家相比還存在較大差距。特別是20世紀初以來,西方語音學研究在諸多方面都發(fā)生了根本性變化,尤其體現(xiàn)在以下兩大方面:
首先是在學科領域的劃分上。因研究目的與方法的不同而形成了兩個不同的重要語音研究領域:語音學與音系學。20世紀初,音系學從語音學研究領域中脫離出來,逐漸形成了一門獨立的學科。一百多年以來,音系學先后經歷了兩個大的發(fā)展階段:第一階段是介紹和發(fā)現(xiàn)音位概念、探索語音之間關系為主的結構主義音系學(亦稱“音位學”);第二階段是以SPE為基礎理論框架的生成音系學,特別是在后一階段中呈現(xiàn)出學派眾多、理論新穎、觀點各異、精彩紛呈的景象。
其次是在語音研究的工具與手段上。隨著計算機信息技術的突飛猛進,語音分析工具不斷推陳出新,這為語音學的迅猛發(fā)展提供了堅實可靠的研究基礎。在眾多不同學科背景的學者通力協(xié)作下,語音合成、語音識別的自然度與技術水平有了極大的提高,各種實用語音軟件得到普及,并很快進入到人們的日常生活之中,正在實現(xiàn)語言學家多年來一直追求的語言研究產業(yè)化的目標與理想。
要跟上語音研究領域的強勁發(fā)展勢頭,我們就必須及時全面系統(tǒng)地了解西方語音學與音系學的研究現(xiàn)狀與發(fā)展趨勢。為此,外教社從西方已出版的眾多語音學與音系學著作中精心選取并推出了一批有代表性的經典著作。應該說,成規(guī)模地推出一批有代表性的當代語音學與音系學著作專集,在國內還是第一次,這無疑是一件非常有意義的事情,值得慶賀。近年來,越來越多的人開始認識到語言學學科的重要性。現(xiàn)在,開設語言學課程的高校不少,選擇語言學專業(yè)或方向的學生也很多,但我們知道,能開設并系統(tǒng)講授語音學尤其是音系學課程的學校卻不多。眾所周知,這方面的課程在英美國家語言學專業(yè)都是必修課程。試想,如果我們的高校連語音學和音系學入門課程都不能開設,那么何以稱得上是語言學專業(yè)?當然,造成這一局面的原因是多方面的,但缺少好的語音學和音系學方面的教材與著作,是其中的一個重要因素。外教社推出的“語音學與音系學經典叢書”,既關注語音研究領域中的代表性重要成果,也考慮到國內眾多語言學專業(yè)或方向的學生學習語音學與音系學的實際狀況和迫切需要。希望這套叢書的出版在一定程度上能夠彌補國內這方面的缺陷,滿足國內學者和學生的實際需求。
此外,需要指出的是,語音學與音系學是兩個既相關又有所不同的學科領域。國內漢語學界對此并不做區(qū)分,所用的“語音學”是它的廣義概念,既包括語音學,也包括音系學。但西方語言學界對此是做區(qū)分的,他們通常所使用的是狹義的語音學,即指對語音的一種跨學科研究,一般是不包括音系學(語音的語言學研究)的。近年來,由于多學科的積極參與和努力,現(xiàn)代語音學研究已日趨科學化,其研究方法更像是一門理工科的學問。這對于文科背景的語言學專業(yè)學生來說,確實是一種挑戰(zhàn),但也并非想象的那么難。事實上,只要具備一定的(高中)理科知識,學習起來也是不成問題的!耙粝祵W”這個概念比較新,它源自英語的phonology,20世紀80年代中期之后,這個譯名才逐漸被接受。音系學不同于語音學,它是非物質或非物理的,是人類語言所具有的能產性屬性賴以存在的基礎,是有關儲存于人腦中的語音知識的學問。很顯然,音系學非常抽象,要想理解和掌握音系學的理論原則與分析方法,就需要具有比較嚴謹?shù)倪壿嬐评砗头治瞿芰。由于音系學研究的目的在于發(fā)現(xiàn)和揭示表層語音知識背后的不同語言普遍具有的潛在力量或規(guī)律,因而音系學教材不可避免地會涉及很多我們甚至從未聽說過的語言的語料。這些語料看似復雜,其實不然,它們一定都遵循某種潛在的規(guī)律。這也正是音系學研究的意義所在。綜上所述,語音學更關注實際的語音體現(xiàn)形式,而音系學則更關注潛在的語音結構與規(guī)律。這套叢書將兩者結合起來,意在加強和促進國內在這兩個研究領域的通力協(xié)作,以推動中國當代語音學與音系學理論的發(fā)展以及兩者在漢語中的應用。
希望這套叢書能成為廣大讀者的良師益友。
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 Introduction to phonetics
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The production of speech
1.2.1 The production of consonants
1.3 The production of vowels
Chapter 2 The phoneme
2.1 Segments of sound
2.1.1 Distinctiveness: phonemes and allophones
2.2 Identifying phonemes
2.2.1 The minimal pair test
2.2.2 Contrast in analogous environments
2.2.3 Suspicious pairs
2.2.4 Recapitulation
2.3 Phonological symmetry
Chapter 3 Distinctive features
3.1 Why are features needed?
3.2 Jakobsonian features
3.3 The SPE system of distinctive features
3.3.z Major class features
3.3.2 Cavity features
3.3.3 Tongue body features
3.3.4 Tongue root features
3.3.5 Laryngeal features
3.3.6 Manner features
3.3.7 Prosodic features
3.4 Segment structure redundancy
Chapter 4 Phonological representations
4.1 Phonetics and phonology
4.2 The domain of phonology
4.3 Recapitulation: levels of representation
4.4 Phonetic and phonemic transcription
4.5 A guide to phonetic transcription
4.6 Why study phonology?
Chapter 5 Phonological processes
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Assimilation
5.2.i Direction of assimilation
5.3 Assimilation processes
5.3.1 Palatalisation
5.3.2 Labialisation
5.3.3 Voice assimilation
5.3.4 Place of articulation assimilation
5.3.5 Manner of articulation assimilation
5.3.6 Nasalisation
5.4 Dissimilation
5.5 Conclusion
Chapter 6 Naturalness and strength
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Natural segments, natural classes and natural
processes 98
6.2.1 Phonological strength hierarchies
6.3 Explanations of naturalness
6.3.1 Natural phonology
Chapter 7 Interaction between rules
7.1 Introduction to rule formalisation and ordering
7.2 Linear rule ordering
7.3 Abandoning extrinsic ordering
7.4 Conclusion: why ordering matters
Chapter 8 The abstractness of underlying
representations
8.i Abstractness
8.2 Concrete phonology?
8.3 Absolute neutralisation
8.4 Conclusion
Chapter 9 The syllable
9.1 The syllable
9.2 The representation of syllable structure
9.3 The CV-tier
9.3.1 A generative CV.phonology model of syllable structure
9.3.2 Syllabification
9.4 Functions of the syllable
9.4.1 The syllable as the basic phonotactic unit
9.4.2 The syllable as the domain of phonological rules
9.4.3 The syllable and the structure of complex segments
9.4.4 Compensatory lengthening
9.4.5 The syllable as indispensable building block for higher phonological domains
9.5 Syllable weight
9.6 Abstract segments
9.7 Extrasyllabicity
9.8 Summary
Chapter 10 Multi.tiered phonology
10.1 Introduction to tone languages
10.2 The nature of phonological
representations
10.3 The representation of tone
10.3.I Contour tones
10.3.2 Tone stability
10.3.3 Melody levels
10.4 The autosegmental model and the representation of tone
10.5 Tone and intonation
10.6 Pitch.accent
10.7 Vowel harmony
10.8 Nasalisation
10.9 Morphemic tier
Chapter 11 Stress and intonation
11.1 Introduction: stress
11.1.1 What is stress?
11.1.2 Metrical phonology
11.1.3 Metrical trees and grids
11.1.4 Extrametricality
11.1.5 Quantity sensitivity
11..6 English stress
11.2 Intonation
11.2.1 The form of English intonation
11.2.2 Accentuation function
11.2.3 Intonation and illocutionary force
11.2.4 The grammatical function of intonation
11.2.5 Attitudinal functions
11.2.6 Discourse function
Chapter 12 Phonology in the wider context
12.1 The role of the lexicon
12.2 Lexical phonology
12.2.1 Level 1 of lexical phonology
12.2.2 Level 2 of lexical phonology
12.2.3 The elsewhere condition
12.2.4 The order of affixes
12.2.5 Post.lexical rules
12.2.6 Summary
12.3 Prosodic domains
12.3.1 Prosodic domains and French liaison
12.4 Conclusion
Bibliography
Suggested answers to exercises
Language index
Subject index