Words | StudyTution

composition of a word

• A very generic, simple definition that we follow is a word is a combination of different sounds.
• can we combine any sound together? Can we put any random sounds together to make a word? Can any sequence of sounds become a word? The answer is obviously no.
• And for that purpose, we need to look inside the word to see how is it that these sounds are organized? Is there any pattern in it? There is a mathematical pattern.
• It is a very simple pattern, and once we pay attention to that, we become careful in understanding that.
• We become, we know the composition very clearly.
• So two things, a word is not the random ordering of any set of sounds, number one.
• And number every word must have a vowel sound in it.
• So these are the two parts, two things that will make us understand words properly.
• So let us look at these things.

what is the order of sounds in a word?

• If we say, that order of sounds in a word is
  not random.
• If we know that order of sounds in a word is not random, then we must point out what is the order of sounds in a word.
•  we start with a very simple word like papa, daddy, mom.
• So when we look at these words, we see a word like papa, so very simple.
• When we say we hear, we hear a sound p.
• Then we hear a sound aa, and then we hear another sound p and then we hear another sound aa.
• So there are four sounds in this word, p aa p aa.
• So this becomes, if we have to identify them, we identify them as consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel.
• Keep in mind this aa is an example of a long vowel. So p consonant, aa long vowel, another p consonant, aa long vowel.
• So this word has this pattern, that is CVCV, that is consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel.
• So a simple alternation of consonant and vowel gives you this word.
• You will find this sequence in many words like mama; m, aa, m, aa. Baba; b, aa, b, aa.
• So papa, mama, baba, chacha, all kinds of words will follow this pattern.
• Not only just this relation terms, but there are a lot of words with just this alternation of consonant and vowel possible.

Consonants And Vowels

• Every consonant sound has one specific vowel inbuilt in it.
• So take any consonant sound, the vowel that is inbuilt in it is called a.
• So when we say p, k, ch, t, m take any.
• The only vowel sound that you find inbuilt, which becomes slightly prominent at the end of it is a.
• That is when we say p; we hear a at the end of it.
• Only that sound.
• What happens is, when we use this word in a, when we use this sound, that is when we  use a consonant sound in a word, that sound gets suppressed.
• So when we say papa, we do not say p aa p aa. We say papa.
• So, p and another vowel aa comes together, and that already inbuilt vowel gets weaker.
• So that the word becomes papa and we identify it as a sequence of CVCV that is consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel alternation.
• When you look at this word daddy, you see the sounds are d e d ii daddy.
• So this is again a sequence of consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel.
• As you know this is long ii. And when you look at mom, so you have you can have mommy.
• So okay, let us look at this word mom. So you have m o and m.
• This is a sequence of CVC. So now you see you can have d a d, CVC.
• So likewise, you are going to see an alternation of these sounds for any word in English.
• And thus you will also find out at least one vowel sound in every word.
• There could be more, but at least one vowel sound in every word. So you get to see this alternation.

Vowels

• The other important point about a word is you have a vowel sound in every word.
• You have one inbuilt vowel sound in every consonant, which gets slightly weaker when they combine with another sound in a word.
• There is no constraint on which sound comes in the beginning of a word.
• There is no constraint on which sound comes at the end of a word.
• And how many sounds must be there in a word.
• These are not constraints.
• only 24 consonant sounds and only 20 vowel sounds together can make millions of words.
• The pattern is not random, but still, we can have millions of words only with these 44 sounds.
• The answer to this question is, it is possible because there is no limit on how we use these sounds in a word.
• That is what comes first what comes at the end.

How many times the same sound can come in a word?

• Look at this word, papa.
• A sound like p and aa are coming twice in the same word.
• Daddy a consonant sound d is coming twice. Dad a consonant sound d is again coming twice.
• Mommy, mom, consonant sound m is coming twice.
• So we can have multiple times the same sound, we can have more sounds.
• We can have more number of consonant sounds in a word.
• So we are not talking about a contradictory thing.
• order of sounds is not random in the sense that it will have consonant, vowel, consonant vowel.
• It could also be and then alternation of these things.
• So it could also be a consonant, vowel, consonant.
• It could also be, a word could begin with just a vowel sound.
• So these alternations are possible as a pattern.
• But which consonant comes and which vowel sound comes there is no constraint on that.
• And that is responsible for giving us millions of words in English.
• So this gives you some idea about the sequence of consonants and vowels sounds in English words.
• based on your understanding of consonant sounds, vowel sounds, and how they come together to make simple words or complex words.

Places of articulation

•  p is a bilabial consonant d is an alveolar consonant, m is a bilabial nasal consonant.
• And then you have several types of vowels to make these words.
• There are several types of several other types of patterns that are underlying a word.

Types of patterns

• vowel sounds are more basic in a word.
• That is a word that is possible only with vowel sounds.
• So it is possible to have a word like this ‘vv’.
• But it is not possible to have a word just like this *cc.
• So look at this word English word aai.
• So it has two consonants aa, and it has two vowel sounds aa one, i two and this is the sequence in this word.
• So this is what we mean, words only with vowel sounds are possible in any language, also in English.

consonant cluster

So a cluster is when two consonant sounds come together.

What is a cluster?

• When two consonant sounds come together and what they do is, there is no vowel sound in between that.
• Not even the inbuilt vowel sound that you have that we have discussed, like p has a inbuilt in it and k also has a inbuilt in it, b also has a inbuilt in it.
• So when two consonant sounds make a cluster, that inbuilt sound is also gone.
• And when that sound is lost, the two consonant sounds come too close, and that is what we call a cluster.
• Meaning, a cluster of two consonant sounds is also possible at the end of a word.
• a cluster of two consonant sounds is also possible in the middle of a word.
• examples like what. So two consonant sounds are making a cluster here.
• Examples like glass.
• Remember, we when we speak, we use speech sounds to articulate English words.
• And when we write, we write it in the form of its spelling.
• So these when you apply this understanding, to see the distinction, you will get a better understanding of these words.
• Look at this word glass. In this word first two sounds are making a cluster.
• Glass. G l aa and s.

What are the sounds in the word glass?

• G l aa and s.
• That is what we are looking here.
• So g and l are making a cluster.
• Say this word to yourself glass.
• The g sound does not retain the aa inbuilt aa sound in it.
• It has lost.
• That is in a cluster only the first sound loses that inbuilt vowel.
• L sound has aa vowel on it. So gla.
• That is how we say glass.
• And last s sound in English spelling it is written as doubling, but that is not a cluster.
• That is just one sound s.
• And this aa is also long vowel aa.
• So only this one is making the cluster by dropping the inbuilt aa vowel sound of the first member in the cluster.
• That is how we make a cluster.
• Cluster is a very unique and normal pattern of word formation in English in particular, and also in many other languages.

Production Of Sounds

• So as we know, sounds are produced by modification of the flow of exhaling air in the vocal tract.
• That is how sounds are made.
• So we have velar sound, k as a velar sound g as a velar sound.
• Remember, k is not voiced and is g is plus voiced.
• P is not voiced and b is voiced.
• So these two are velar sounds/k/, /g/.
• And these two are bilabial sounds /p/, /b/.
• every consonant sounds has an inbuilt vowel sound a with them.

Velar Sounds

• two velar sounds k and g.
• King, class.
• The first sound in the word king is k.
• And first sound in the word class is also k.
• It is a different matter that they are written differently as a matter of spelling in English.
• So you see ki ng.
• This is a velar nasal sound.
• When we write class, we are going to see, so this is how we write that, and the sequence here is CVC.
• When we say class, we have k l aa and s class.
• This has CCVC sequence.
• And in this word, the first two consonants are forming a cluster, class.
• In great, you will see the first two sounds in this word that they are g and r are again forming a cluster.
• We have seen this word glass, g and l are making a cluster. When you look at the words like pink.
• In this one, you have p, short i, n and k, pink.
• These two sounds n and k pink, n and k they are making a cluster.
• The word like pure, there is no cluster here.
• But this uses bilabial at the initial position, bilabial sound p. Bliss. B and l are making cluster and bless again b and l are making a cluster.
• So these are simple words that we use in our day-to-day English.

Speaking

• So when we speak a word in a flow, we do not pay attention to these.
• But for us to practice a word in English, to become a better speaker, these kinds of nuanced understanding about sounds and sequence of sounds in a word become very useful, very helpful.
• So much so that we get, we notice a lot of other things as well.
• What is it that we get to know through that? Look at this a word like how do we say a word like impossible?

Negative Prefix

• You will see that the negative prefix in this  word impossible sounds m because it precedes another labial sound p.
• So it becomes m, and then we get impossible.
• The same thing happens when it precedes a velar consonant.
• Say the word incomplete.
• The first it has this word has a negative prefix in it, and then the word is complete.
• So the first sound of the word complete is k.
• Therefore, the negative, in the negative prefix, the nasal also becomes velar.
• And when we speak this sound, this word we do not say incomplete, it becomes incomplete.
• So this becomes a velar nasal.
• word accident you have two it looks like a cluster.
• But this is not a cluster, because the first one is k and the second one is s.
• So I am using this example to show you there is a huge variation in terms of writing and how we speak English words.
• And we get to the nuances of this and the distinction of this when we pay attention to sounds in a word.