English and Can tonese Consonants’ Similarities and Differences
73
[Table 4.2 Cantonese Phonemic Inventory]
Manner Plosive
Nasal Fricative
Affricate
Approximant Lateral
Approximant
Place
VCL VCD
VCL VCD
VCL VCD
VCL VCD
VCL VCD
VCL VCD
Bilabial
p p
h
- -
m -
- -
- -
- -
-
Labio- dental
- -
- -
f -
- -
- -
- -
Dental
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Alveolar
t t
h
- -
n s
- ts
ts
h
- -
- -
l
Palato- alveolar
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Palatal
- -
- -
- -
- -
- j
- -
Velar
k k
h
- -
ŋ
- -
- -
- -
- -
Labio- velar
kw k
h
w
- -
- -
- -
- -
w
- -
Glottal
- -
- -
h
- -
- -
- -
-
Like its counterpart, Table 4.2 displays the phonemic inventory of one of the contrasted language. From the table, it can be comprehended that Cantonese
has a total of 19 chief consonants. Compared to English, Cantonese has more plosives. Besides the bilabial, alveolar, and velar plosives, Cantonese has a pair of
voiceless labio-velar plosive kw and k
h
w, both alien to English. The nasals of Cantonese are exactly similar to English, m, n,
ŋ. On the other hand, Cantonese has only three fricatives instead of nine. It only has the voiceless labio-dental
fricative f, the voiceless alveolar fricative s, and the voiceless glottal fricative h. In terms of the number of affricates owned, Cantonese and English are
74 similar. English has one voiced and one voiceless palato-alveolars affricate, while
Cantonese has two voiceless alveolar affricates, namely ts and ts
h
. Cantonese has one voiced palatal approximant j and one voiced labio-velar approximant
w, similar to English. It also has one alveolar lateral approximant l, in which the sound is also a lenis.
The first two displayed tables are the implementation of the first step in executing a contrastive analysis of the sound systems of two languages according
to James 1980. The following descriptions are the rest three steps being implemented in describing how the consonants of English and Cantonese each in
their own respective group are similar and different. The discussion on each group will consist of an equation table of the two contrasted languages
‟ phonemic inventory, list of the allophonic variants of the related phoneme, and the
conveyance of the distributional restrictions on the consonants of English and Cantonese together with the allophonic variants.
The tables, as featured previously as an example in Table 3.3 of the third chapter, consist of six defining columns, namely: phoneme, variant, manner,
place, aspiration, and voicing. The phoneme column displays the phonemes owned by the two languages in that certain group. The variant column states the
allophonic variants of the stated phoneme. The next two columns, manner and place, state the manner and place of articulation of the selected phoneme. The
aspiration column informs the reader whether the variant is aspirated, unaspirated, or is unreleased. The last column called voicing provides the reader with the
information whether the allophonic variant is voiced or voiceless.
75 4.1.1.1 Bilabial Plosives of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.3 Equation on the Bilabial Plosives of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing
1. p
[p
h
] plosive
bilabial aspirated
Voiceless
[p] plosive
bilabial unaspirated
Voiceless
[p ˺]
plosive bilabial
unreleased Voiceless
2.
p
h
[p
h
] plosive
bilabial aspirated
Voiceless 3.
b [b]
plosive bilabial
- Voiced
Table 4.3 displays the bilabial plosives of English and Cantonese combined. English has two bilabial plosives: p and b. The first is voiceless and
the second is voiced. English p can be realized as [p] or as [p
h
], whereas the voiced plosive b has no allophonic variants.
Equally, Cantonese also has two voiceless bilabial plosives, namely p and p
h
. The prior is unaspirated and the later is aspirated. Cantonese acknowledges as many as two variants for the sound p; [p] and [p
˺], while p
h
has both phonemic and allophonic status. As for the distributional restrictions, the English allophone [p
h
] occurs in word-initial and medial position. Its counterpart, [p] occurs in word-medial and
final position. The Cantonese allophonic variant [p
h
] occurs only in word-initial position. Variant [p] occurs only as a word-initial, while the syllabic plosive [p
˺] occurs exclusively in word-final. The English allophonic variants [p] and [p
h
] has phonemic status in Cantonese.
76 4.1.1.2 Alveolar Plosives of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.4 Equation on the Alveolar Plosives of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing
1. t
[t
h
] plosive
alveolar aspirated
Voiceless
[t] plosive
alveolar unaspirated
Voiceless
[t ˺]
plosive alveolar
unreleased Voiceless
2.
t
h
[t
h
] plosive
alveolar aspirated
Voiceless 3.
d [d]
plosive alveolar
- Voiced
Table 4.4 equates the alveolar plosives owned by English and Cantonese. It can be observed from the table that each of the contrasted language has a pair of
alveolar plosives. English has t and d, whereas Cantonese has t and t
h
. English t is voiceless with two allophonic variants [t] and [t
h
], while on the other hand, Cantonese t can be pronounced as the unaspirated [t] or as the unreleased
[t ˺] . Both English d and Cantonese t
h
has no allophonic variants in their realization.
As for the distributional restrictions, the English allophone [t
h
] occurs in word-initial and medial position. Its counterpart, [t] occurs in word-medial and
final position. The Cantonese allophonic variant [t
h
] occurs only in word-initial position. The allophonic variant [t] occurs only as a word-initial, while the
syllabic plosive [t ˺] occurs exclusively only as a word-final. The English
allophonic variants [t] and [t
h
] has phonemic status in Cantonese.
77 4.1.1.3 Velar Plosives of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.5 Equation on the Velar Plosives of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing
1. k
[k
h
] plosive
velar aspirated
voiceless
[k] plosive
velar unaspirated
voiceless
[k ˺]
plosive velar
unreleased voiceless
2.
k
h
[k
h
] plosive
velar aspirated
voiceless 3.
g [g]
plosive velar
- voiced
The minimal pairs of the velar plosives of English as seen in Table 4.5 are the voiceless k and the voiced g. Like their bilabial and alveolar counterparts,
the voiceless velar can be realized in two variants: [k] or [k
h
], whereas the voiced velar plosive g has no allophonic variants. The variants of the firstly mentioned
phoneme k are differentiated only by their aspiration. As for the distributional restrictions, the English allophone [k
h
] occurs in word-initial and medial position. Its counterpart, [k] occurs in word-medial and
final position. The Cantonese allophonic variant [k
h
] occurs only in word-initial position. The allophonic variant [k] occurs also as a word-initial, while the
syllabic plosive [k ˺] occurs exclusively in word-final. The English allophonic
variants [k] and [k
h
] like the rests of the plosives has phonemic status in Cantonese.
78 4.1.1.4 Bilabial Nasals of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.6 Equation on the Bilabial Nasals of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing 1.
m [m]
nasal bilabial
- voiced
[m]
nasal bilabial
syllabic voiced
Table 4.6 displays the only consonant sound which phonemic status and allophonic variants is shared by both English and Cantonese articulatory grid. It is
the voiced bilabial nasal m. Its allophones [m] and [m] occur in English and Cantonese words. In Cantonese, the syllabic [m] can appear as a stand-alone
speech sound of a word whereas in English, the syllabic variant of this nasal sound appears only in the final position of a syllable.
The distributional restriction of the phoneme m is explained as follows, the allophone [m] in English can co-occur in word-initial, medial, and final
position. In Cantonese, on the other hand, the allophonic variant can only occur in word-initial and final position. The syllabic allophone [m] occurs in English
exclusively in word-final position, whereas in Cantonese, the sound occurs only as a stand-alone allophone for certain words such as [m]
唔 „not‟.
79 4.1.1.5 Alveolar Nasals of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.7 Equation on the Alveolar Nasals of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing 1.
n [n]
nasal alveolar
- voiced
[n]
nasal alveolar
syllabic voiced
The alveolar nasal n as featured in Table 4.7 is also shared by the contrasted languages. One of its allophones [n], however, occurs exclusively in
English and is missing in Cantonese articulatory grid. This is a unique turn of event
since its „sibling‟ nasal sound, the syllabic [m] does exist in Cantonese. In any syllable positions, the Cantonese n remained being realized as clear [n], even
in the final position. Meanwhile, whenever the English n appears as a syllable final, it can be pronounced as [n] or [n].
The distributional restriction of the phoneme n shared by both contrasted languages is explained as follows, the allophone [n] in English can co-occur in
word-initial, medial, and final position. On contrary, in Cantonese the allophonic variant can only occur in word-initial and final position. The syllabic allophone
[n] occurs exclusively in English in word-final position, for words such as [
„bʌtn]
„button‟ or [haɪdn] „hidden‟.
80 4.1.1.6 Velar Nasals of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.8 Equation on the Velar Nasals of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing 1.
ŋ [
ŋ]
nasal velar
- voiced
[ ŋ]
nasal velar
syllabic voiced
English and Cantonese do share yet another nasal sound, which is the voiced velar nasal
ŋ
.
Contradictorily to what happened with the variant realization of the alveolar nasals, the syllabic variant to this sound, [
ŋ] is exclusive to Cantonese. Like [m], the Cantonese Chinese has some words that has the
pronunciation of this single syllabic nasal sound. The distributional restriction of the phoneme
ŋ can be explained as follows, the allophone [
ŋ] in English occurs only in word-final position. While in Cantonese the allophonic variant co-occurs in both word-initial and final position.
The syllabic allophone [
ŋ
] occurs only in Cantonese as a stand-alone allophone for certain words such as [
ŋ] 五„five‟.
81 4.1.1.7 Labio-dental Fricatives of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.9 Equation on the Labio-dental Fricatives of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing 1.
f [f]
fricative labio-dental
- voiceless
2. v
[v] fricative
labio-dental -
voiced
One out of the two featured fricatives occurs only in English, and is missing in Cantonese. Such argument can be made by looking at Table 4.9 which
features the minimal pair of English labio-dental fricatives f and v. The voiced labio-dental fricative [v] is alien to the Cantonese people, even though they share
the sound [f] in various syllable positions. The distributional restriction of the phoneme f shared by both contrasted
languages is explained as follows, the allophone [f] in English can co-occur in word-initial, medial, and final position. On contrary, in Cantonese the allophonic
variant can only occur in word-initial position. The allophone [v] occurs exclusively in English in word-initial, medial, and final position.
82 4.1.1.8 Alveolar Fricatives of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.10 Equation on the Alveolar Fricatives of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing 1.
s [s]
fricative alveolar
- voiceless
2. z
[z] fricative
alveolar -
voiced
The labio-dental [v] is not the only fricative that Cantonese does not have. When the tongue is moved to the alveolar, the Cantonese will be able to produce
yet another fricative sound of English, namely the voiceless alveolar fricative s. However, the Cantonese will soon realized that the voiced version of this fricative
does not exist in their phonemic inventory. It can be seen from table 4.10 which displays the alveolar fricatives of both English and Cantonese f, v in which one
of them is shared by both languages and thus pronounced similarly, and another sound exists only in English.
As for the distributional restrictions, the English allophone [s] occurs in word-initial, medial position and final position. Its counterpart, [z] occurs also in
the three available positions. The Cantonese allophonic variant [s] occurs only in word-initial position.
83 4.1.1.9 Glottal Fricatives of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.11 Equation on the Glottal Fricatives of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing 1.
h [h]
fricative glottal
- voiceless
The glottal fricative shared equally by both English and Cantonese is the only consonant found in this comparison, which is found to be exactly the same in
pronunciation when it occurs in English or Cantonese. Table 4.11 states that the discussed phoneme h has no allophonic variants. It is a fortis fricative that
speakers of both English and Cantonese can easily produce in the epiglottis part of the organs of speech. The distributional restriction of the phoneme h is explained
as follows, the allophone [h] in English can co-occur in word-initial, and medial position. In Cantonese, on the other hand, the allophonic variant can only occur in
word-initial position.
84 4.1.1.10 Palatal Approximants of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.12 Equation on the Palatal Approximants of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing 1.
j [j]
approximant palatal
- voiced
[ ] approximant
palatal -
voiceless
The condition of Table 4.12 is similar to Table 4.9 and Table 4.10, in which one of the two variants exists only in English. Table 4.12 exhibits the
palatal approximant j which is recognized by both English and Cantonese phonemic inventory. One of its allophones, however, is exclusive to English. The
voiceless palatal approximant [ ] occurs in the middle position of any English words containing this allophonic variant.
The distributional restriction of the phoneme j shared by both contrasted languages is explained as follows, the allophone [j] in English can co-occur in
word-initial and medial position. On the contrary, in Cantonese the allophonic variant can occur in word-initial and final position. The voiceless allophone [ ]
occurs exclusively in English in word-medial position, for words such as „pew‟ or
„accute‟.
85 4.1.1.11 Labio-velar Approximants of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.13 Equation on the Labio-velar Approximants of English and Cantonese]
No. Phoneme
Variant Manner
Place Aspiration
Voicing 1.
w [w]
approximant labio-velar
- voiced
[w] approximant
labio-velar -
voiceless
Table 4.13 is a table of equation on the sound w, the labio-velar approximant owned by both English and Cantonese, together with its allophonic
variants. The phoneme can be realized into two variants, namely the voiced labio- velar approximant [w] and the voiceless labio-velar approximant [w]. The
voiceless variant of this approximant is missing in Cantonese phonemic inventory. The distributional restriction of the phoneme j shared by both contrasted
languages is similar to its fellow palatal approximant. It can be explained as follows, the allophone [w] in English can co-occur in word-initial and medial
position. On the contrary, in Cantonese the allophonic variant can occur in word- initial and final position. The voiceless allophone [w] occurs exclusively in
English in word-medial position, for words such as „tweet‟ or „quark‟.
86 4.1.1.12 Alveolar Lateral Approximants of English and Cantonese
[Table 4.14 Equation on the Alveolar Lateral Approximants of English and Cantonese] No.
Phoneme Variant
Manner Place
Aspiration Voicing
1. l
[l] lateral approximant
alveolar -
voiced
[l] lateral approximant
alveolar -
voiceless
[ ɬ]
lateral approximant alveolar
velarized voiceless
[ ] lateral approximant
alveolar syllabic
voiceless
Table 4.14 presents the last similar consonant shared by English and Cantonese. It is the sound called as the alveolar lateral approximant, the sound l.
From this table, it can be learned also that Cantonese clearly does not have voiceless variant among its approximants. The table stated clearly that three out of
four possible variants of the phoneme are exclusive to English. As easy as it may seem for this [l] sound to be pronounced, the rest three nonexistent variants [l,
ɬ, ] can be quite challenging to be properly identified and later be accurately
pronounced by Cantonese EFL learners. The distributional restriction of the lateral phoneme l shared by both
English and Cantonese can be explained as follows, the allophone [l] in English can co-occur in word-initial and medial position. On the contrary, in Cantonese
the allophonic variant can occur only in word-initial position. The voiceless allophone [l] occurs exclusively in English in word-medial position, for words
such as „plague‟ or „clan‟. The velarized [ɬ] and the syllabic [ ] can occur only in
word- final position for words such as reel or silk , and shuttle or riddle .