English: Difference between revisions
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'''English''' is a [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] language, serving basically as the lingua franca over much of the world; the most notable English-speaking countries are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. | '''English''' is a [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] language, serving basically as the lingua franca over much of the world; the most notable English-speaking countries are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. | ||
===Notable features of English | ==Phonology== | ||
===Consonants=== | |||
{| | |||
| [[Voiceless bilabial stop|p]] [[voiced bilabial stop|b]] || [[Voiceless dental stop|t]] [[Voiced dental stop|d]] || [[voiceless velar stop|k]] [[voiced velar stop|ɡ]] | |||
|- | |||
| [[bilabial nasal|m]] || [[alveolar nasal|n]] || [[velar nasal|ŋ]] | |||
|- | |||
| || [[voiceless postalveolar affricate|ʧ]] [[voiced postalveolar affricate|ʤ]] | |||
|- | |||
| [[voiceless labiodental fricative|f]] [[voiced labiodental fricative|v]] || [[voiceless dental fricative|θ]] [[voiced dental fricative|ð]] [[voiceless alveolar fricative|s]] [[voiced alveolar fricative|z]] [[voiceless postalveolar fricative|ʃ]] [[voiced postalveolar fricative|ʒ]] || ([[voiceless velar fricative|x]]) || [[voiceless glottal fricative|h]] | |||
|- | |||
| || [[alveolar lateral|l]] r [[palatal approximant|j]] [[labiovelar approximant|w]] | |||
|} | |||
The consonants of English tend to be more stable cross-dialectally than the vowels. | |||
The phonemic status of [ŋ] is sometimes disputed, instead being replaced by a rule /nɡ → ŋ/ at the end of a morpheme. There remain, however, a few words where this may not apply, such as "hangar", though this may be due to [[metanalysis]] as hang + -ar. | |||
The voiceless stops are aspirated. In some dialects aspiration is more salient than voicing for distinguishing stops. | |||
The general American value of /r/ is [[[retroflex approximant|ɻ]]]. | |||
===Important allophones=== | |||
* [[[alveolar tap|ɾ]]] for /d/ between vowels in American English | |||
* [[[glottal stop|ʔ]]] for /t/, especially finally, but intervocalically in some places | |||
* [[[voiceless palatal fricative|ç]]] for /h/ before /j/. | |||
* [[[voiceless labiovelar fricative|ʍ]]] for /hw/ in some dialects. (In other dialects it either remains [hw] is not distinguished from /w/, even in dialects that otherwise retain /h/.) | |||
* unaspirated voiceless consonants after /s/. | |||
==Notable features of English== | |||
* Most verbs cannot normally participate in processes such as [[negation]]; for this auxiliary verbs are used. E.g.: to negate ''"I ate the cat."'': | * Most verbs cannot normally participate in processes such as [[negation]]; for this auxiliary verbs are used. E.g.: to negate ''"I ate the cat."'': | ||
*:''*I ate not the cat.'' (possible, but archaic) | *:''*I ate not the cat.'' (possible, but archaic) | ||
*:''I didn't eat the cat.'' (auxiliary "do" takes tense and negation marking) | *:''I didn't eat the cat.'' (auxiliary "do" takes tense and negation marking) | ||
==Languages based on English== | |||
===[[Creole]]s and natural descendants=== | |||
*[[Tok Pisin]] | *[[Tok Pisin]] | ||
===Constructed languages=== | |||
*[[Volapük]] (with other sources) | *[[Volapük]] (with other sources) | ||
Revision as of 09:53, 16 October 2004
English is a Germanic language, serving basically as the lingua franca over much of the world; the most notable English-speaking countries are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Phonology
Consonants
| p b | t d | k ɡ | |
| m | n | ŋ | |
| ʧ ʤ | |||
| f v | θ ð s z ʃ ʒ | (x) | h |
| l r j w |
The consonants of English tend to be more stable cross-dialectally than the vowels.
The phonemic status of [ŋ] is sometimes disputed, instead being replaced by a rule /nɡ → ŋ/ at the end of a morpheme. There remain, however, a few words where this may not apply, such as "hangar", though this may be due to metanalysis as hang + -ar.
The voiceless stops are aspirated. In some dialects aspiration is more salient than voicing for distinguishing stops.
The general American value of /r/ is [ɻ].
Important allophones
- [ɾ] for /d/ between vowels in American English
- [ʔ] for /t/, especially finally, but intervocalically in some places
- [ç] for /h/ before /j/.
- [ʍ] for /hw/ in some dialects. (In other dialects it either remains [hw] is not distinguished from /w/, even in dialects that otherwise retain /h/.)
- unaspirated voiceless consonants after /s/.
Notable features of English
- Most verbs cannot normally participate in processes such as negation; for this auxiliary verbs are used. E.g.: to negate "I ate the cat.":
- *I ate not the cat. (possible, but archaic)
- I didn't eat the cat. (auxiliary "do" takes tense and negation marking)
Languages based on English
Creoles and natural descendants
Constructed languages
- Volapük (with other sources)
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