Alternation (linguistics)
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In linguistics, an alternation is the phenomenon of a phoneme or morpheme exhibiting variation in its phonological realization. Each of the various realizations is called an alternant. The variation may be conditioned by the phonological, morphological, and/or syntactic environment in which the morpheme finds itself.
Alternations provide linguists with data that allow them to determine the allophones and allomorphs of a language's phonemes and morphemes and to develop analyses determining the distribution of those allophones and allomorphs.
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Phonologically conditioned alternation
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An example of a phonologically conditioned alternation is the English plural marker commonly spelled s or es.[1] This morpheme is pronounced /s/, /z/, or /ɨz/, depending on the nature of the preceding sound.
- If the preceding sound is a sibilant consonant (one of /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, or /dʒ/), the plural marker takes the form /ɨz/. Examples:
- mass /ˈmæs/, plural masses /ˈmæsɨz/
- fez /ˈfɛz/, plural fezzes /ˈfɛzɨz/
- mesh /ˈmɛʃ/, plural meshes /ˈmɛʃɨz/
- mirage /mɨˈrɑːʒ/, plural mirages /mɨˈrɑːʒɨz/
- church /ˈtʃɜrtʃ/, plural churches /ˈtʃɜrtʃɨz/
- bridge /ˈbrɪdʒ/, plural bridges /ˈbrɪdʒɨz/
- Otherwise, if the preceding sound is voiceless, the plural marker takes the likewise voiceless form /s/. Examples:
- mop /ˈmɒp/, plural mops /ˈmɒps/
- mat /ˈmæt/, plural mats /ˈmæts/
- pack /ˈpæk/, plural packs /ˈpæks/
- cough /ˈkɒf/, plural coughs /ˈkɒfs/
- myth /ˈmɪθ/, plural myths /ˈmɪθs/
- Otherwise, the preceding sound is voiced, and the plural marker takes the likewise voiced form /z/.
- dog /ˈdɒɡ/, plural dogs /ˈdɒɡz/
- glove /ˈɡlʌv/, plural gloves /ˈɡlʌvz/
- ram /ˈræm/, plural rams /ˈræmz/
- doll /ˈdɒl/, plural dolls /ˈdɒlz/
- toe /ˈtoʊ/, plural toes /ˈtoʊz/
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Morphologically conditioned alternation
French has an example of morphologically conditioned alternation. The feminine form of many adjectives ends in a consonant sound that is missing in the masculine form. In spelling, the feminine ends in a silent e, while the masculine ends in a silent consonant letter:[2]
- masculine petit [pəti], feminine petite [pətit] "small"
- masculine grand [ɡʁɑ̃], feminine grande [ɡʁɑ̃d] "tall"
- masculine gros [ɡʁo], feminine grosse [ɡʁos] "big"
- masculine joyeux [ʒwajø], feminine joyeuse [ʒwajøz] "merry"
- masculine franc [fʁɑ̃], feminine franche [fʁɑ̃ʃ] "sincere"
- masculine bon [bɔ̃], feminine bonne [bɔn] "good"
Syntactically conditioned alternation
Syntactically conditioned alternations can be found in the Insular Celtic languages, where words undergo various initial consonant mutations depending on their syntactic position.[3] For example, in Irish, an adjective undergoes lenition after a feminine singular noun:
- unmutated mór [mˠoːɾˠ] "big", mutated in bean mhór [bʲan woːɾˠ] "a big woman"
In Welsh, a noun undergoes soft mutation when it is the direct object of a finite verb:
- unmutated beic [bəik] "bike", mutated in Prynodd y ddynes feic [ˈprənoð ə ˈðənɛs vəik] "The woman bought a bike"
