questions for topic 7
(try answer the questions, then move the pointer below the question to see the answer)
- What are tense and lax vowels?
Tense is used as a supercategory for free and smooth vowels, lax is used as a supercategory for checked and broad vowels; free and smooth vowels on the one hand, checked and broad vowels on the other, exhibit common characteristics in the way they are spelled
- How many sound equivalents does a single vowel letter typically have?
four: free, smooth (collectively, tense) and checked, broad (collectively, lax)
- When is a vowel in covered graphic position?
when it is followed by a consonant letter, which is not followed by a vowel letter, but either is word final (mat) or by another consonant letter (matter)
- What is a stop+liquid cluster?
it is a letter representing a plosive (B, C, D, G, P, T; and also F, which is not a plosive) followed by a letter representing a liquid (L, R)
- Why are stop+liquid clusters relevant?
because although they consist of two consonant letters, the vowel before them is not in covered position
- What are the two basic spelling rules?
a single vowel letter in free position represents a tense (free or smooth) vowel, a single vowel letter in covered position represents a lax (checked or broad) vowel
- What is the prime motivation for doubling consonant letters in English if English has no double consonants in pronunciation?
this is one way to achieve covered graphic position: fit~fitted
- What is the prime motivation for adding a silent E to the end of words in English?
this is to achieve free position for a tense vowel followed by consonant letter at the end of a word: hate (cf hat)
- What is the problem with the letter V?
it must be followed by a vowel letter, so a checked vowel before /v/ will be in free graphic position: live, give, have, love
- What is a shortening or laxing environment?
a spelling configuration in which we regularly find a checked vowel in free graphic position
- Why is the word licenses not an exception to trisyllabic laxness, although it does not have a lax vowel in the third syllable from the end?
because it contains a free stem (a word, [lájsəns]) before a syllabic suffix ([iz]), so its stressed vowel is not in the third syllable from the end after all
- What are laxing endings?
one syllable endings, -ic, -id, -it/et, -el and nonadjectival -ish, before which we regularly find a checked vowel: panic, tepid, digit, comet, parish
- Why is Danish [déjniʃ] not an exception to the above?
because it is an adjective
- Why is the stressed vowel of vision [víʒən] checked although it is in free position?
because it is followed by CiV (-sio-)
- Why is the stressed vowel of lesion [líjʒən] not checked although it is followed by CiV?
because CiV laxing only applies to the single vowel letter I/Y, vowels spelled by other vowel letters are tense before CiV
- Why does the laxing ending not count in mosaic [məwzéjik] not count?
because only a free vowel may occur before another vowel (prevocalic tenseness)
I did well, let’s move on
I did poorly, let’s check again