GENERAL
What are the two main periods in the development of phonological theory?
The "prephoneme" period (before 1870) and the "phonemic" period (starting from 1870).
What is the distinctive function of a phoneme
It helps differentiate words in a language (e.g., "bit" vs. "pit").
What is an allophone?
A variant of a phoneme that does not change the meaning of a word.
Who was the first linguist to distinguish between speech sounds and phonemes?
I.A. Baudouin de Courtenay.
What term did N.V. Krushevsky introduce at the same time as F. de Saussure
The term "phoneme
What is an example of allophones in English?
The dark and clear /l/ sounds in "ball" and "light.
What did I.A. Baudouin de Courtenay define a phoneme as?
He defined it as the "psychological equivalent of a speech sound
What are the three aspects of speech sounds identified by L.V. Shcherba?
Biological (physiological), physical, and linguistic (social).
Why can Russian /l/ sounds be considered separate phonemes while English /l/ sounds are allophones?
Because they can differentiate meanings in Russian, but not in English.
How did I.A. Baudouin de Courtenay view the structure of language
He believed that utterances break into sentences, sentences into words, words into morphemes, and morphemes into phonemes.
How did L.V. Shcherba define a phoneme?
As "the shortest general sound image of a given language" that differentiates words.
What method is used to identify phonemes in a language?
The commutation test, which examines minimal pairs (e.g., "pill" vs. "bill").