Phonology and morphology glossary

The part of the tongue below the soft palate.

Vowel in which the body of the tongue is in the back part of the oral cavity (mouth). The vowels [ u, o] are examples of back vowels.

A morphological process in which a real or imagined affix is removed from an existing word to create another, e.g., editor > edit, liaison > liaise.

A scale in which equal intervals of pitch as perceived by listeners are represented by equal distance on the scale.

The root or stem to which an affix attaches.

A valence-changing operation that creates a new direct object argument for the participant who is the beneficiary of the action.

An aerodynamic principle involved in vibration of the vocal folds. Air pressure from the lungs opens the glottis during each vibration. The folds come together again during each vibration because of their inherent elasticity and the sudden pressure drop between the folds as the air streams through the open glottis.

The name of a place of articulation. The articulators are the upper and lower lips. [p b m] are examples of bilabial sounds.

Of phonological features: taking one of two opposite values. For example, speech sounds may be classified as [+nasal] if they are made with the velum lowered or [-nasal] if they are not.

The part of the tongue that lies behind the alveolar ridge when the tongue is at rest.