Pronunciation of the English Plural

1
Pronunciation of the English Plural
Referentinnen Lena Schmidt Sina Ußling
2
The Regular Plural

• The plural morpheme -s

z
s
_at_z
allomorphs
3
Examples

• z cab /kb/ ? cabs /kbz/
• boy /bOI/ ? boys /bOIz/

• s cap /kp/ ? caps /kps/
• faith /feIT/ ? faiths /feITs/

3. _at_z bus /bVs/ ? buses
/"bVs_at_z/ garage /g_at_"rAZ/ ? garages
/g_at_"rAZ_at_z/ AE
4
Rules
The basic representation of the plural morpheme
s is z.

• Does the regular noun end in a sibilant? /s, z,
  S, Z, tS, dZ/

Yes
RULE 1 Insert a _at_ before the plural morpheme
2. Does a voiceless sound precede the plural
morpheme s?
Yes
RULE 2 Change the plural morpheme to voiceless
s
5
NA not applicable
6
Simplified Chart
7
Exceptions to the plural rule

• child ? children
• ox ? oxen
• mouse ? mice
• criterion ? criteria
• sheep ? sheep
• fish ? fish

8
Irregular plural formation the /f/-/v/
alternation
wife /waIf/ ? wives /waIvz/
knife /naIf/ ? knives /naIvz/
But roof /ruf/ ? roofs /rufs/
Note! wifes ? /?/
/waIfs/
9
Irregular plural formation voicing
path /pAT/ ? paths /pADz/
bath /bAT/ ? baths /bADz/
house /haUs/ ? houses /haUzIz/
10
Literature

• Dretzke, B., Modern British and American English
  Pronunciation, Paderborn Schöning Verlag 1998.
• Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., Hayms, N., An
  Introduction to Language, Boston Thomson Heinle
  2003.
• Köster, J., Exercises in Pronunciation and
  Transcription