Lecture 1 Phonetics as a Linguistic Science Plan

5. Phonotactics

The question of how the phonemes of the language can be put together to make syllables and words is a part of the phonological study of a language. The branch of phonology whose aim is to discover the principles that govern the way sounds are organized to form linguistic units of higher levels is called phonotactics.

It has been observed that languages do not allow phonemes to appear in any order. A native speaker of English can figure out that the sequence of phonemes /stren0s/ makes English word strengths and that the sequence /zbf/ could not possibly be in an English word (Roach 2006). Knowledge of such facts is important in phonotactics.

Phonotactic studies of English come up with the findings that certain sequences tend to be associated with particular feelings or human characteristics. For example, the words bump, lump, hump, rump, mump, clump associate with large blunt shapes. A number of words ending in plosive and syllabic IV have something to do with a clumsy, awkward or difficult action: muddle, fumble, straddle, cuddle, fiddle, buckle, struggle, wriggle (Roach, op. cit.).

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in analyzing the way words work in a sequence of sentences to produce coherent texts. To the linguistic features that ensure text coherence refer separate sounds and sound combinations. Such factors as average length of words in terms of phonemes as well as phoneme frequency influence the semantic potential of the most vital parts in the text. Phonemes and their sequences also help to identify the theme and rheme of the text. A thoroughly chosen sound form of these parts of the text predetermines its effectiveness.

Text perception depends on the articulation and acoustic peculiarities of this or that phoneme. The organization of sound form in the text is one of the means directed at the intensification of its general meaning and expressiveness (Zhuravlyov 1974). Phonemes and their sequences are the factors that govern our choice of words in texts and effects of our choice on the recipients of the text. The selection of words in social interaction is always influenced by pragmatic factors and this choice in its turn depends on the sounds, which constitute this or that word, sentence, and text. In many languages, the pragmatic distinctions of formality and politeness are spread throughout the grammatical, lexical, and phonological systems.

Modern investigations into textual structure and semantics tend to start with the analysis of the smallest units as pragmatics of the text "works from the bottom up" (Crystal 1997). The phonemic structure of the text includes the elements that influence the readers and help to identify the intentions of the speaker as well as the implications that follow from expressing something in a certain way. Phonemes also act as distinguishers. They mark reference of text to this or that style. Using distinctors of this kind texts are analyzed by their segmental components to see whether the same kinds of phoneme sequences in words can be found in each type of text.