Historical Linguistics: A cognitive grammar introduction

Chapter 4: Phonetic change Margaret E. Winters (Wayne State University U.S.A)

Abstract

The representation of phonetic segments in speech is one of the vital issues that linguistic studies have addressed since ancient times. However, these studies did not enquire about the change because it can only be in the speech and pronunciation systems. Nonetheless, fixing speech in time and the possibility of using it and re-examining it opened the doors of modernization and development for phonetics. Laboratory analysis results have revealed that the reality of pronunciation in time and place is different from previous assumptions. The “form” of the vocal tract keeps changing during the speaker’s talking time. Consequently, this change results in a change in the positions of the speech organs and their movements, which appear to be relatively independent movements. Do the forms of pronunciation match the images of the different parts arranged in order like links in a chain? How to reconcile the assumed stability in the deep structure with the variability present at the level of surface and achievement? Are these changes considered restricted changes or unrestricted changes in the phonological structure? What are the issues which interfere with the phonetic change? ... All these questions, and a few others are raised through our translation of the fourth chapter, entitled “Phonological Change,” from the book “Historical Linguistics: An Introduction to Cognitive Linguistics” by Margaret E. Winters” from Wayne University State in the United States of America.