Question

Modern Greek is an Indo-European language spoken in Greece. Examine the sounds [ x ], [ k ], [ ç ], and [ c ] in the following data. [ 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)

Answer 1

Answer:

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.