Blogs post #3

1. The Case of the Changing Prefix

We form negative meanings for words in like audible and edible by adding the prefix in- (inaudible and inedible). First, determine the negative versions of the following words:

balance = unbalance/imbalance     compatible = incompatible     complete = incomplete        decent = indecent   glorious = inglorious      gratitude = ingratitude     legal = illegal        literate = illiterate    mature = immature    perfect = imperfect      possible = impossible  rational = irrational   responsible = irresponsible     sane = insane    tolerant = intolerant      variable = invariable

Now, explain why some of the prefixes are different.  What are the phonological processes involved with their pronunciation?

·         The prefix are different in some of the words because every word have a different meaning and it simply sound better, I can’t say inbalance  it just doesn’t sound right. Prefixes are words that add on in the beginning.

·         The phonological processes involved with  their pronunciation are usually the /I/ and /a/

2.  The Case of the Shifting Plural Suffix

The use of the plural -s has three different ways of pronunciation.  

a.  The plural sounds like /s/ for words like bat, book, cough, and ship.  

b.  However, it sounds like /z/ for words like cab, cave, lad, rag, and thing. 

c.  And the plural sounds like /ez/ for words like bus, bush, church, judge, and maze.

First, identify the phoneme that comes just before the plural in each of these words.

Now, can you discover what these sets of sounds (the final phoneme of the word and the phoneme for the type of plural it uses) have in common?

·         What these words have in common is that their sounds are plural and use the /z/ and /ez/, /s/ phoneme. When using /s/ words sound voiceless while with /z/ and /ez/ voiced.