Glossary: morphology and phonology

A higher variant of a vowel, as in close-mid [e] as opposed to open-mid [ε]. Contrast with open.

See mid.

A syllable that has a consonant at the end, such as English tick. Contrast open syllable.

Coalescence is the phonological process in which two segments merge. The change of /np/ to [m] may be described as coalescence (taking nasality from /n/ and labiality from /p/), just like vowel nasalization and monopthongization (/ai/) --> /e/).

Coarticulation happens when the movements in the vocal tract necessary to produce one sound also influence another neighbouring sound. Coarticulation is sometimes regarded as an automatic phonetic effect (distinct from assimilation, which is regarded as a phonological rule). See also anticipatory coarticulation and perseverative coarticulation.

The organ of hearing. A spiral structure in the inner ear where mechanical vibrations are converted to nerve impulses, which are then sent to the brain.

Binaural hearing (using both ears) helps us to separate interesting sounds from a background of irrelevant noise. In a room where several conversations are taking place, one can focus on one of them and ignore the rest: the cocktail party effect.

The consonant(s) in a syllable that follow the vowel. E.g. in the syllable /pak/, the /k/ forms the coda.

A model of auditory word recognition in which listeners are assumed to develop a group of candidates, a word initial cohort, and then determine which member of that cohort corresponds to the presented word.

The shared understanding of those involved in the conversation.