Zheeendy Muh

Muh. Akbar Hudodo

Minimal Pairs "A minimal pair is a pair of words that differ in a single phoneme. Minimal pairs are often used to show that two sounds contrast in a language. For example, we can demonstrate that [s] and [z] contrast in English by adducing minimal pairs such as sip and zip, or bus and buzz. Since the only difference in these words is the [s] vs. [z], we conclude that they belong to distinct phonemes. However, a similar test would show that [a:j] and [Aj] are distinct phonemes in English, since writer and rider appear to be minimal pairs distinguished in their second

elements,

not

their

fourth."

(James Alasdair McGilvray, The Cambridge Companion to Chomsky. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2005) Minimal pairs are pairs of words or phrases in a particular language, which differ in only one phonological element, such as a phone, phoneme, toneme or chroneme and have a distinct meaning. They are used to demonstrate that two phones constitute two separate phonemes in the language (phonology) As an example for English vowels, the pair "let" + "lit" can be used to demonstrate that the phones [ɛ] (in let) and [ɪ] (in lit) do in fact represent distinct phonemes /ɛ/ and /ɪ/. An example for English consonants is the minimal pair of "pat" + "bat". In phonetics, this pair, like any other, differs in number of ways. In this case, the contrast appears largely to be conveyed with a difference in the voice onset time of the initial consonant as the configuration of the mouth is same for [p] and [b]; however, there is also a possible difference in duration, which visual analysis using high quality video supports.

Phonemic differentiation may vary between different dialects of a language, so that a particular minimal pair in one accent is a pair of homophones in another. This does not necessarily mean that one of the phonemes is absent in the homonym accent; merely that it is not present in the same range of contexts. Exmple: Minimal pairs - Homophones 1. chair

---

share

2. cheap

---

sheep

3. cheat

---

sheet

4. cheered ---

sheered

5. shin

---

chin

6. chines

---

shines

7. chirt

---

shirt

8. chip

---

ship

9. shuck

---

chuck

Here are some sentence sets with the same vocabulary. Some of them test the bounds of metaphor.;-) Follow the same procedure as above: 1. I like to chair at a meeting. --- I like to share at a meeting. 2. He thought the cheese was cheap. --- He thought the cheese was sheep. 3. The cheat failed the strength test. --- The sheet failed the strength test. 4. The crowded cheered when she began walking. --- The crowded sheered when she began walking. 5. I hurt my shin. --- I hurt my chin.

6. We are finished when the bell chines. --- We are finished when the bell shines. 7. The geologist brought a chirt. --- The geologist brought a shirt. 8. The engineers made a better chip. --- The engineers made a better ship. 9. Shuck some of the new corn. --- Chuck some of the new corn.