Then if he ignores acoustically unimportant variations, he will find that the number of species (moments) is not indefinite” (40). He writes that “Having analyzed a sufficient number of spoken chains from different languages, the phonologist can identify and classify the moments with which each language operates. Let me share a direct quote from Saussure that neatly summarizes why the division of spoken language into phonemes is important. The isolated phoneme is like a singular sound. However, if we take a by itself, we can study it abstractly, outside of time. Their combination, ta, can be studied only together, as it represents one arrangement of a certain length followed by another: the moment where one starts and the other ends cannot be easily determined.
Let’s say we have two phonemes, t and a, each representing a beat, or a unit of time. Phonemes are like the links of the spoken chain, tying together verbal expressions. The sums of these two components are phonemes, and they represent the very basis of phonological study. I strongly recommend reading my previous post before delving into today’s more technical description.Īs we have already established, the first units obtained when the spoken chain is split are made up of b and b’ (auditory beat and articulatory beat). I concluded that discussion with a mention of the division of spoken language into smaller components, and I will continue it here today. Two weeks ago, I delved into the basics of phonology with Ferdinand de Saussure’s book, Course In General Linguistics.
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