Bleeding order
Encyclopedia
Bleeding order is a term used in phonology
to describe specific interactions of phonological rules. The term was introduced in 1968 by Paul Kiparsky
.. If two phonological rules are said to be in bleeding order, the application of the first rule creates a context in which the second rule can no longer apply.
is the /ɪ/-insertion between a voiceless alveolar fricative
and a plural
-z, as in [bʌsɪz] (with the underlying representation
//bʌs-z//). English also has a rule which devoices segments
after voiceless consonants, as in [bʊks], with the underlying representation //bʊk-z//). In the output form [bʌsɪz] (buses), final devoicing
has not applied, because the phonological context in which this rule could have applied has gone as a consequence of the application of /ɪ/-insertion. Put differently, the application order "(1) /ɪ/-insertion (2) final devoicing" is a bleeding order in English.
of the word slang ("snake") in the Dutch
dialect of Kaatsheuvel
: [slɑŋəskə]. If [s]-insertion would have applied first, then the rule which inserts an additional /-ə/ between the noun stem and the suffix
/-kə/ could no longer have applied and the output form would have been [slɑŋskə]. However, the rules have applied in the reverse order.
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
to describe specific interactions of phonological rules. The term was introduced in 1968 by Paul Kiparsky
Paul Kiparsky
René Paul Viktor Kiparsky is a professor of linguistics at Stanford University. He is the son of the Russian-born linguist and Slavicist Valentin Kiparsky....
.. If two phonological rules are said to be in bleeding order, the application of the first rule creates a context in which the second rule can no longer apply.
Examples
An example of this in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is the /ɪ/-insertion between a voiceless alveolar fricative
Voiceless alveolar fricative
The voiceless alveolar sibilant is a common consonant sound in spoken languages. It is the sound in English words such as sea and pass, and is represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as . It has a characteristic high-pitched, highly perceptible hissing sound...
and a plural
Plural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
-z, as in [bʌsɪz] (with the underlying representation
Underlying representation
In some models of phonology as well as morphophonology, the underlying representation or underlying form of a word or morpheme is the abstract form the word or morpheme is postulated to have before any phonological rules have applied to it. If more rules apply to the same form, they can apply...
//bʌs-z//). English also has a rule which devoices segments
Segment (linguistics)
In linguistics , the term segment may be defined as "any discrete unit that can be identified, either physically or auditorily, in the stream of speech."- Classifying speech units :...
after voiceless consonants, as in [bʊks], with the underlying representation //bʊk-z//). In the output form [bʌsɪz] (buses), final devoicing
Final obstruent devoicing
Final obstruent devoicing or terminal devoicing is a systematic phonological process occurring in languages such as German, Dutch, Polish, and Russian, among others...
has not applied, because the phonological context in which this rule could have applied has gone as a consequence of the application of /ɪ/-insertion. Put differently, the application order "(1) /ɪ/-insertion (2) final devoicing" is a bleeding order in English.
Counterbleeding order
If two rules which are in bleeding order apply in the opposite way, this is called a counterbleeding order. An example of this can be seen in the pronunciation of the diminutiveDiminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
of the word slang ("snake") in the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
dialect of Kaatsheuvel
Kaatsheuvel
Kaatsheuvel is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant, situated along highways N261 and N628. With a population of roughly 16,600, it is the largest village in and the capital of the municipality of Loon op Zand, which also consists of the villages of De Moer and Loon op Zand...
: [slɑŋəskə]. If [s]-insertion would have applied first, then the rule which inserts an additional /-ə/ between the noun stem and the suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
/-kə/ could no longer have applied and the output form would have been [slɑŋskə]. However, the rules have applied in the reverse order.
Literature
- Gussenhoven, C. & Jacobs, H. (1998). Understanding Phonology. Arnold, Londen.
- Jensen, J.T. (2004). Principles of Generative Phonology: An introduction