Modern Greek is an Indo-European language spoken in Greece. Examine the sounds [ x ], [ k ], [ ç ], and [ c ] in the following d
ata. [ k ] represents a voiceless velar stop, [ x ] a voiceless velar fricative, [ ç ] a voiceless palatal fricative, and [ c ] a voiceless palatal stop. Which of these sounds are in contrastive distribution, and which are in complementary distribution? State the distribution of the allophones. (22 points)
Some sounds are in contrastive distribution and others in complementary distribution.
Explanation:
The sounds [k] and [x] are contrastive,
[kano] 'do'
[xano] 'lose'
The sounds [ç] and [c] are contrastive,
[çino] 'pour'
[cino] 'move'
The sounds [k] and [c] are in complementary distribution. The palatal stop appears before front vowels, whereas the velar stop appears elsewhere. The sounds [ç] and [x] are in complementary distribution, like the stops, palatal before front vowels, but otherwise velar.
