34. MINIMAL PAIRS
Minimal pairs are words that vary by only
a single sound, usually meaning sounds that students often get confused by,
like the "th" and "t" in "thin" and
"tin".
Vowel Sounds
Consonant Sounds
Initial Consonant Sounds
Minimal Pairs initial /f/ and /p/ (fast and past) / Minimal Pairs initial /k/ and /g/ (came and game) / Minimal Pairs initial /t/ and /d/ (two and do)
In phonology, minimal pairs are
pairs of words
or phrases in a particular language, which differ in only one
phonological element, such as a phoneme, toneme or chroneme
and have distinct meanings. They are used to demonstrate that two phones
constitute two separate phonemes in the language.
The minimal pair was an essential tool in the discovery
process, arrived at by substitution or commutation tests. Modern
phonology is much less interested in such issues, and the minimal pair is
consequently considered to be of little theoretical importance.
Phonemic differentiation
may vary between different dialects of a language, so that a
particular minimal pair in one accent is a pair of homophones
in another. This does not necessarily mean that one of the phonemes is absent
in the homonym accent; merely that it is not contrastive in the same range of
contexts.
P P pa pack page paid pail paint pair pale
palm Pam pan pane park part pat patch pate path Paul pave paw pawn pay pea
peach peak peal pearl peas peat peck peel peep peg pen perm pest pestle pet
pick pie pied pig pile pill pin pine Ping pink pip pipe pit pocket pod poke
pole pong Pooh pool pop Pope pork port pose post pot pow power psalm pug pull
pump pun punch punk purr purse putt
B B babe
back bag bait bale ball balloon ban band banks bap bard bare bark Bart bat
batch bath bay beach bead beam bean beans bear bed bee beef beep beer bees beet
beg beige bell belly Ben Bertie Bess best bet Bic big bight bile bill billy bin
bird bite boar boast boat bog bold bone boo book boom boot borax bore born
boughs bow bower bowl box boy brass buck bug bull bump bumper bun bunch bunk
burst bus bust butt buy bye
T T ta
table tail talk tall tan tank tanks tape tart taw tax tea teach teal tease teat
Ted teen tell ten Tess tie tight tin tine ting tit toad toast toe ton tong took
toot tore tote tower toy Ts tuck tug two
D D dale
dame Dan dare dark dart date dawn day dead deal Dean debt deep deer dell den
dent dial Dick die dig dill dime din dine dirty dock dole door dot Doug dough
down doze Ds duck dull dumb dust dye
K calf call
calm camp can cap care cart case cat coach coal coast cob coffee cog coke cold
come cone cook cool coot cop cord core cork corn cow cub curd curl K kale Kate
keel keen keep keg Ken key keys Kia kick kid kill king kink kipper Kirsty kiss
kit kite
G gable gag
gale gall game gap gape gate gauge gay Gertie get ghee ghost ghoul gig gill gimbal
gird girl go goal goat gold gong goo gorse got gourd gown grass green guard
guess guest guide gull gun Gus gust gusty guy
F fable
face fade fail faint fair fake fan farm fat fawn fax Faye fear fed feed feel
fees fell fen fête Fi fig fight file fill fin fine fit fix foal foam fob foe fog
fold folk fool fop fork fort forty fountain four fox Fred fun fur fuss phone
photo
V V van
vane vast vat Vaughan veal veer veil vent verse vest vet vial Vic Vicks vie vim
vine Viv vole vote vow Vs
S C cell psalm sack sad sage sail
saint sake sale saloon Sam same sank Sauce Saul saw scene sea seal
seas seat seed seep Seine Seoul sieve sigh sign sill silly sim sink
Sioux sip sis six soak soap sob socks sole son sook sour sow sub suck Sue suit
sun surf sword
Z Z
Zach zap zeal zed zee Zen zest zinc zing zip zipper zit zone zoo zoom zoot Zs
ʃ Cher chic choux Schick shack
shade shag shake shale Shane shanks shape shark shave shawl she shea shear
sheep sheet shield shin shine ship shirr shirred shirt shoal shoe shoes shook
shop shorn shot show shower shun shy
θ thank
thanks thatch thaw thick thief thigh thimble think third thirsty thirty thong
thorax thorn three thug thumb Thumper
ð than
that thee their then these they this those though thy
h hack
hail hair hake half hall hand hare hark harm haste hat hate hawk hay he heap
heart hearth heel height hello hen herd hi high hill hip hiss hit hock hoe hog
hoist hold hole hook hoot hop hope horde horn horse hose host hot hub hug
hull hum hurl hush who
ʧ cello
chai chain chair chalk chap charm chart cheep cheese cheetah chess chest chew
chick chief chill chilli chilly chin chink chip chive choc chock choke chook
chop chose chum
ʤ G gaol gel George germ
gin Gs J jab jack jacks jade Jag jail Jake Jan Jane jape jar jaw Jean jeans
jeep jello jelly Jen jet jetty jig jive Joan job jocks Joe jog John joist
joke jot Js jug juice jump junk just jut jute
M Mac Maeve
mail male mall man map mare mark marred mart mash mat match mate Maud Max May
meal meet mellow Mem meter mic mice Mick Mig might mile milk mill mime mine
Ming mink miss mite mitt mix moan moat mob mock mog moist Moke mole money moo
moose
N gnash gnat
gnaw gnome knack knave knead knee kneel knees knight knit knob knocks knot nag
nail name Nan nap nape naughty near neat neigh Nell nerd nest nestle net nice
nick night nil Nile nimble nine nip no nod nook nope Norse nose note numb nun
nurse nut
L label
lace lag lair lake lamb lamp lane lank lap lard lark lash last latch laugh law
lawn lax lay lead leaf leak leap leech leek leeks leg lei Leigh Len less let
lick lid light limb lime line link lip load locks lone look loose loot lop lord
lose loss lot Lou louse low luck lug lull lunch lung lute lye Lynne lyre
R rabbit
rack rag Rah raid rail rain rake ramp rand rank ranks rap rare rash rat rate
rave reach real reap red reef reek reel rest rig right rile rill ring rink
roach road roast rock rocket rod roll Rome roo rook roos root rope rose
W one wag
wage walk wall wane ward warn wart watt wave Wayne ways weak wear wee weed week
weep west whack whale what wheat wheel wheeze when whip whirl white why wick
wife wig will win wind wine wink wipe woe wok woke wonder woo wool word worm
worn worse worst wow Y
J ewe U
ute yabby yacht yak Yale yam yank yap yard yawl yawn yay ye year yell yellow
yen yes yet yeti yoke yolk you yum yurt
Other types of minimal pair
In addition to the
minimal pairs of vowels and consonants provided above, others may be found:
- Quantity
Many languages show
contrasts between long and short vowels and consonants. A distinctive difference
in length is attributed by some phonologists to a unit called a chroneme.
Thus in Italian we find the following minimal pair based on long and short /l/:
- Tone
Minimal pairs for tone
contrasts in tone languages can be
established; some writers refer to this as a contrast involving a toneme.
For example, the Kono language distinguishes
high tone and low tone on syllables:
- Stress
Languages in which
stress may occur in different positions within the word often have contrasts
that can be shown in minimal pairs. Thus in Greek:
- Juncture
English speakers are
able to hear the difference between, for example, 'great ape' and 'grey tape',
though phonemically the two phrases are identical: /ɡreɪteɪp/.
The difference between the two phrases, which constitute a minimal pair, is
said to be one of juncture. At the word
boundary, a "plus juncture" /+/ is posited which is said to be the
conditioning factor that results in 'great ape' having an /eɪ/
diphthong shortened by pre-fortis clipping
and a /t/ with little aspiration because it is not syllable-initial, whereas in
'grey tape' the /eɪ/ has its full length and the /t/ is
aspirated. Only languages which have allophonic differences associated with
grammatical boundaries have juncture as a phonological element: it is claimed
that French does not have this, so that, for example, 'des petits trous' and
'des petites roues' (phonemically both /depətitʁu/)
are phonetically identical.
Beyond minimal pairs
The principle of a
simple binary opposition between the two members of a minimal pair may be
extended to cover a minimal set where a number of words differ from each
other in terms of one phone in a particular position in the word. For example,
the vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ of Swahili are shown to be distinct by the
following set of words: pata 'hinge', peta 'bend', pita
'pass', pota 'twist', puta 'thrash'. However, establishing such
sets is not always straightforward and may require very complex study of
multiple oppositions as expounded by, for example, Trubetzkoy; this
subject-matter lies beyond the domain of an article on minimal pairs.
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