What is the difference between complementary and free variation?

In linguistics, complementary distribution, as distinct from contrastive distribution and free variation, is the relationship between two different elements of the same kind in which one element is found in one set of environments and the other element is found in a non-intersecting (complementary) set of environments.

Are allophones in free variation?

Free variation is “free” in the sense that a different pronunciation doesn’t result in a different word or meaning. This is possible because some allophones and phonemes are interchangeable and can be substituted for each other or said to have overlapping distribution.

Are allophones always in complementary distribution?

Allophones usually appear in complementary distribution, that is, a given allophone of one phoneme appears in one predictable environment, but the other allophones of that phoneme never appear in that environment.

What is phoneme in free variation?

Introduction. Phonological free variation is a well-known phonological phenomenon that occurs when two (or more) phonemes – the free variants – may replace each other in the same position in a word without any change in meaning (e.g. again /əˈgen/ or /əˈgeɪn/).

Are minimal pairs allophones?

[p] and [pH] are allophones of the phoneme /p/. [t] and [tH] are allophones of the phoneme /t/.

What is free variation in English?

In linguistics, free variation is the phenomenon of two (or more) sounds or forms appearing in the same environment without a change in meaning and without being considered incorrect by native speakers. …

Are s and Z allophones?

For instance, we know that /s/ and /z/ are two separate, distinct phonemes in English. Since /s/ and /z/ are variants of a morpheme, they are called allomorphs. Allophones are generally found in complementary distribution meaning that one form of a phoneme will never appear in the environment of another.

How do you know if a distribution is complementary?

1. Complementary Distribution indicates that two basic sounds are not independent PHONEMES, but conditioned variants of the same phoneme, of the same minimally distinctive sound.
2. Sounds are in complementary distribution when one occurs under condition A but never B, while the other occurs under condition B but never A.

What is allophone and example?

The definition of an allophone is an alternative sound for a letter or group of letters in a word. For example, the aspirated t of top, the unaspirated t of stop, and the tt (pronounced as a flap) of batter are allophones of the English phoneme /t/.

Are minimal pairs contrastive?

To determine if two sounds are contrastive, we look for minimal pairs. A minimal pair is two words… Thus, [b] and [m] are contrastive; so are [m] and [θ]. Contrastive sounds belong to different phonemes.

What is a minimal pair give five examples?

A minimal pair is two words that vary by only a single sound, usually meaning sounds that may confuse English learners, like the /f/ and /v/ in fan and van, or the /e/ and /ɪ/ in desk and disk.

How are allophones in complementary distribution with each other?

•Allophones are in complementary distribution with each other (or sometimes, in free variation) •Allophone analogy: • {a, A, ɑ, A, a, a, A} are allographs of the grapheme Complementary Distribution •In English, [p] and [ph] are allophones of the same phoneme. They are in complementary distribution with each other. •Why? Phonology – Basics

Why are most allophones in free variation predictable?

Some allophones appear in free variation, which means that it’s pretty much random which variant appears in any environment. But most allophones are entirely predictable: linguists say that allophonic variation is phonetically conditioned because it depends on what other sounds are nearby within the word.

How are allophones of the same phoneme contrastive with each other?

•Allophones of a single phoneme are not contrastive with each other. •Allophones are in complementary distribution with each other (or sometimes, in free variation) •Allophone analogy: • {a, A, ɑ, A, a, a, A} are allographs of the grapheme Complementary Distribution •In English, [p] and [ph] are allophones of the same phoneme.

Which is an example of free variation in phonetics?

In phonetics and phonology, free variation is an alternative pronunciation of a word (or of a phoneme in a word) that doesn’t affect the word’s meaning. Free variation is “free” in the sense that it doesn’t result in a different word. As William B. McGregor observes, “Absolutely free variation is rare.