Hidden Sounds: Rare and Fascinating Terms in English Phonology
Unlocking the hidden mechanics behind how we hear and produce sounds.
Even advanced students of linguistics might not know all of these. These terms go beyond basic IPA charts—they explore nuanced phonological processes, articulatory quirks, and cross-dialectal phenomena relevant to English.
1. Geminate
A long or “doubled” consonant, more common in other languages but still present in expressive or morphological contexts in English.
Example: Mimicking in "Oh no!" → [nː].
2. Yod Coalescence
A type of assimilation where /t/ + /j/ becomes /ʧ/, and /d/ + /j/ becomes /ʤ/.
Example: Did you? → Didja?
3. Glottal Reinforcement
A glottal stop is inserted before voiceless stops, common in some British English dialects.
Example: cat → [kæʔt]
4. Nasal Release
A stop consonant released through the nose, common in casual English speech.
Example: hidden → [hɪdn̩]
5. Velar Fronting
Substitution of velar sounds like /k/ and /g/ with alveolar ones (/t/, /d/), seen in child speech and some dialects.
Example: car → tar
6. Linking R
In non-rhotic accents, an /r/ is inserted between a word ending in a vowel and one starting with a vowel.
Example: law and order → [lɔːr ən ɔːdə]
7. Intrusion
An extra sound (often /r/, /w/, or /j/) is inserted between two vowels.
Example: I saw it → [aɪ sɔː wɪt]
8. Syllabic Consonant
A consonant that serves as the nucleus of a syllable.
Example: bottle → [ˈbɒtl̩]
9. Obstruent
A consonant produced with significant airflow obstruction—includes stops, fricatives, affricates.
Example: /p, b, t, s, ʧ/
10. Sonority Hierarchy
A universal ranking of sounds by their relative resonance, which influences syllable structure.
Vowels > glides > liquids > nasals > obstruents
11. Coalescence
Two adjacent sounds merge into a single new segment.
Example: don’t you → don’tcha
12. Hiatus
Two adjacent vowel sounds occurring in different syllables without an intervening consonant.
Example: theatre → [θiː.ə.tə]
13. Allophonic Variation
A predictable change in pronunciation depending on phonetic environment.
Example: /p/ in spin vs pin
14. Free Variation
When two sounds can be used interchangeably without changing the meaning.
Example: tomato pronounced [təˈmeɪtoʊ] or [təˈmɑːtoʊ]
15. Ambisyllabicity
A consonant belongs to both the coda of one syllable and the onset of the next.
Example: happy → [ˈhæp.i]
You Might Be a Phonology Nerd If…
You get excited when someone aspirates a voiceless plosive and you notice. Stay tuned for more linguistics!
