Minimal pairs

22. 2. 2017

FO2BE SS15/16 (NSK): What is a minimal pair?

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F02BE Phonetics and Phonology SS 2016/2017 (NSK)

WHAT IS A MINIMAL PAIR?

Any two words that differ from each other by only one distinctive sound (one phoneme) are cal ed a
minimal pair.

For example: cat and pat are minimal pairs.

The difference can be due to Place, Manner or Voice. Consider the fol owing:

In tin and din ­ the only difference between them is the voicing.

Both are alveolar plosives but the first is voiceless and the second is voiced.

In thin and fin ­ the difference is the place of articulation.

The first contains a voiceless dental and the second a voiceless labio­dental fricative.

The words tin and sin both begin with voiceless alveolars.

The only difference is the of manner of articulation.

The first is a voiceless alveolar plosive wheras the second is a voiceless alveolar fricative.

The difference between two vowel sounds can also constitute a minimal pair. This is why the famous
ship or sheep is the classic example of one. The only difference between the words from a
phonological point of view is the short and long vowel /I/ and /i:/.

Summary: Mininal pairs are words where one distinctive change either in Voicing, Place or Manner is
made and this changes the meaning of the original word.

Example of a series of minimal pairs:

bin chin din fin gin kin pin sin thin tin win

The different initial sound changes the meaning and this means that a different phoneme has been
used.

Therefore the fol owing are al  different phonemes of English:

/b/, ʧ/, /d/, /f/, /

ʤ//k/, /p/, /s/ /θ/, /t/, /w/

Exhaustive tests have shown that there are a total of 44 distinct phonemes of English.

Remember though, that within that phoneme category there may be slight differences in the sound.
This is particularly important when words end with a voiced consonant. The preceding vowel is longer
than when it is fol owed by a voiceless consonant.

Contrast:

bat ­ bad mat – mad seat – seed rope ­ robe

hat ­ hat sat – sad feet – feed H ­ age

fat – fad pat – pad wheat – weed race ­ raise

The second vowel in each pair is longer.

Allophones are variations within a broad phonemic category. If one al ophone is exchanged for
another the meaning of the word is not affected.

Unaspirated and aspirated voiceless plosives are examples of al ophones. In pit the first phoneme is
aspirated /pʰ/. In spit the /p/ is not aspirated. To aspirate /p/ in spit would sound unusual but the word
would stil  be understood as spit.

On the other hand if /p/ were exchanged, not with /pʰ/, but with /l/ the meaning would alter to make the
word slit. /p/ and /l/ then, are two different phonemes. English has two different /l/ sounds in look an
pool. The first is cal ed clear /l/ and the second is cal ed dark /l/. These are also al ophones.