What is complementary distribution

Fontica, Diccin y Trabajos de Laboratorio III

Area Ingles- IFDC N 5 J.E.Tello- 2010

Rita Aldorino, MA en Educacin

What is complementary distribution?

Definition

Complementary distribution is the mutually exclusive relationship between two phonetically similar segments. It exists when one segment occurs in an environment where the other segment never occurs.

Complementary distribution is commonly applied to phonology, where similar phones in complementary distribution are usually allophones of the same phoneme. For instance, in English, [p] and [p] are allophones of the phoneme /p/ because they occur in complementary distribution. [p] always occurs when it is the syllable onset and followed by a stressed vowel (as in the word pin). [p] occurs in all other situations (as in the word spin).

There are cases where elements are in complementary distribution, but are not considered allophones. For example in English [h] and [] (engma, written as "ng" in English) are in complementary distribution, since [h] only occurs at the beginning of a syllable and [] only at the end. But because they have so little in common they are still considered separate phonemes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_distribution)

A phoneme is made up of certain features that are basic to it. When this phoneme occurs in certain phonetic environments, one or more of its features may undergo changes caused by those environments.

Examples (English)

The phones [p] and [pH] are in complementary distribution. [pH] occurs syllable-initially in a stressed syllable, but [p] never does, as demonstrated here:

Phonetic representation

Gloss

Underlying representation

pHEpp&u0279;

'pepper'

/pEpp&u0279;/

spin

'spin'

/spIn/

www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/ WhatIsComplementaryDistributio.htm

Free variation

Free variation in linguistics 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. Examples from English include:

glottalization of voiceless stops in word-final position: for example, the word stop may be pronounced with a plain unaspirated [p], [stp], or with a glottalized [p], [stp]

the word economics may be pronounced with /i/ or // in the first syllable; although individual speakers may prefer one or the other, and although one may be more common in some dialects than others, both forms are encountered within a single dialect and sometimes even within a single idiolect

the comparative of many disyllabic adjectives can be formed either with the word more or with the suffix -er, for example more stupid or stupider.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_variation

What is free variation?

Definition

Free variation is the interchangeable relationship between two phones, in which the phones may substitute for one another in the same environment without causing a change in meaning.

Discussion

Free variation may occur between allophones or phonemes.

Examples (English)

In utterance-final position, there is free variation between unreleased and aspirated plosives, as demonstrated below:

[hat|] hat

[hath] hat

In the word data, there is free variation between the phonemes /eJ/ and /Q/, as demonstrated below:

[deira] data

[dara] data

http://www.sil.org/LINGUISTICS/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsFreeVariation.htm