Phonological Rules in Language Phonology

Phonological Rules in Language Phonology is essentially the linguistic subfield in which examines and dissects the system of sound, including the semantic relationship between different sounds (Schramm, 2001). Phonological rules function in language acquisition to aid in the development of characteristics that are integral to correct pronunciation of words. The understanding of phonological rules is of the utmost importance for language teachers because a grasp of these rules results in pronunciations that are more native-like in nature (Schramm, 2001).

Phonological systems are complex and always involve more than one rule, and rules are considered either to be transparent, or with a context that is visible, or opaque, with a context that is not visible (Johnson). There are four main types of phonological rules in language. These categories are assimilation, dissimilation, insertion and deletion (Scramm, 2001). The phonological rule of assimilation refers to the process of a sound becoming more similar to a neighboring sound (Scramm, 2001).

A key example of this rule is nasalization, in which a vowel preceding a nasal consonant assimilates, or becomes more similar by taking on a nasal-like quality. The phonological rule of assimilation is prevalent in all languages (Scramm, 2001). On the other hand, dissimilation is a phonological rule that functions opposite to assimilation. With dissimilation, two neighboring sounds become less similar to each other (Scramm, 2001). Fricative dissimilation is an example of this phonological rule.

This is where it is necessary to pronounce two fricatives next to each other, such in the numbers "fifth" and "sixth." Non-native speakers of English often find it challenging to master these types of sound sequences (Scramm, 2001). Language instructors may ease the acquisition of these pronunciations by clearly outlining the processes involved in these dissimilar sounds. Another type of phonological rule in language is insertion. With insertion, sounds are added to words that are not apparent in spelling or slow pronunciation (Scramm, 2001).

This can provide confusion to learners of a new language since the way they are instructed to pronounce certain words do not correspond to how they perceive the words visually. A couple of examples of insertion in the English language are words like "hamster," which is usually pronounced "hamster," or "month," which is usually pronounced with an exaggerated "t" sound - "mon-t-th" (Scramm, 2001). The final category of phonological rules is deletion. This type of rule deals with processes of pronunciation in which sounds are left out, or deleted (Scramm, 2001).

With the process of deletion, confusion may arise when the pronunciation of a word diverges from the way it is spelled and becomes very similar to the pronunciation of another word with completely different meaning. An example of this is the word "police," which is often pronounced as "pleace," which is furthermore very similar to the word "please." Phonological rules.