Analysis of Word Segments

Every word consists of segments. However, the pronunciation of the segments is often phonetically conditioned. They can be influenced by their position in the word and the surrounding segments.

The words leaf and feel both consist of three segments. The word leaf can be transcribed as [lif] and feel can be transcribed [fil]. Both words are monosyllabic and have the sequence CVC. The only difference is in the position of the consonants. In leaf the lateral is word-initial and the fricative is word-final, but in feel the fricative is word-initial and the lateral is word-final.

Since the two words contain the same number of segments, the same vowel and the same consonants, it could seem that if one word were played backwards, the result would be the other. However, this is not the case. If leaf were played backwards, the result would not be feel. This is due to two factors.

The vowel of feel is longer than the vowel of leaf. The reaon is that the vowel of feel is followed by a voiced approximant. However, the vowel of leaf is followed by a voiceless fricative. The two vowels are not identical.

The lateral of leaf is different from the lateral of feel. In the word leaf, it is word-initial and is not velarized. In feel, however, it is word-final and velarized. The articulation of the lateral in leaf is distinct from the articulation of the lateral in feel.

The pronunciation of segments can be influenced by a number of factors. These include word position and adjacent segments. Words with identical segments which only differ in word position do not always sound identical to the other when played backwards. Reasons for this include vowel length and articulation that depends on the position in the word.