The Structure of the Tongue: Phonemes and Words

Posted on Oct 13, 2024 in Mathematics

1. Language as a System

Language is a system where all elements are interdependent and form a cohesive whole.

Linguistic units at each level (phonetic, morphosyntactic, and lexical) are analyzed through oppositional relationships with other units at the same level. These relationships depend on shared traits and distinguishing features that define their role within the system.

It’s important to differentiate between language and speech. Speech is an individual’s use of language. While language is social, speech is individual. Furthermore, language is stable and fixed, while speech is ephemeral.

According to linguist André Martinet, the key to the power and economy of language lies in its double articulation. This means there are two types of units that combine and articulate: monemes and phonemes.

The language system is organized into subsystems or levels, all interrelated, that analyze various aspects of language: phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and lexical.

2. The Phonetic Level

This level deals with spoken language. Its units of study are the phoneme and the sound.

A phoneme is the smallest abstract unit of sound. It is meaningless on its own but possesses distinctive features that differentiate words. Each language has a limited number of phonemes. Phonemes belong to the plane of langue (language).

A sound is the concrete realization of a phoneme uttered by a speaker. Multiple sounds can correspond to a single phoneme. Sounds belong to the plane of parole (speech).

• Phoneme: Unit of language studied by phonology. Represented between slashes: /b/.
• Sound: Unit of speech studied by phonetics. Represented in brackets: [b].

2.1. Phonemes and Graphemes

A grapheme is a written letter representing a phoneme. The relationship between letters and phonemes is not always one-to-one, resulting in spelling complexities:

1. Some phonemes are represented by multiple letters.
2. Different phonemes can be represented by the same letter.
3. A single letter can represent the sum of two phonemes.
4. Single phonemes can be represented by multiple letters.
5. The letter ‘h’ is not represented by any phoneme in Spanish.

2.2. The Spanish Phonological System

Spanish has 24 phonemes that combine to form words. These are divided into vowels (5) and consonants (19). Distinctive features define each phoneme.

2.2.1. Vowel Phonemes

2.2.2. Consonant Phonemes

Consonant phonemes are defined by:

1. Point of articulation: Where the sound is produced.
2. Manner of articulation: Voiced/voiceless (whether vocal cords vibrate), occlusive/fricative (whether airflow is interrupted), affricate (combination of occlusive and fricative), lateral/vibrant (whether occlusion is on one side or involves rapid contact with the palate).
3. Resonator: Nasal (airflow through nose and mouth) or oral (airflow only through mouth).

(See consonant chart in the book)

2.3. Suprasegmental Elements or Prosodemes

These elements refer to intonation and stress applied to syllables and words.

2.3.1. Stress

Stress is the intensity with which a syllable is pronounced. It can be atonic or tonic. In Spanish, stress can differentiate meaning (e.g., límito vs. limitó).

2.3.2. Intonation

Intonation is the melodic curve of a sentence and can also affect meaning. Sentence modalities include declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory.

The intonation from the last stressed syllable to the end of the sentence is called the terminal tone. It is the most important part of the melodic curve. In Spanish, the terminal tone can be:

3. The Morphosyntactic Level

This level encompasses the study of morphology and syntax.

Morphology studies the units of the first articulation: monemes, word classes, and word structure.

Syntax studies the combination of words into phrases and sentences, and their roles within those structures.