PHONETIC AND PHONOLOGY

FINAL PAPER
Phonological Segmental Analysis of
Foot Volley Pepsi Advertisement

Arranged by :
Candra Putrie R. (09150046)
Effendi (09150047)
Sulistyawati (09150060)
Class B
English Literature

2010 / 2011
UIN SUNAN KALIJAGA YOGYAKARTA

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I. Introduction
In an advertisement entitled Foot Volley Pepsi, several well-known football players
meant to play beach volley in the middle of the street illegally. Since they did not have any
required equipments such as a net and sand, they took them without permission from people
around them. Lionel Messi took two brackets of sand from a girl playing in a beach. Fernando
Torres took a sack of sand from an old man on a hot air balloon. Ricardo Kaka and Frank
Lampard took it illegally from a golf area. Cesc Fabregas took a net from a fisherman. Finally
and fortunately, Thiery Henry brought a truck of sand to be spread over the street as a layer to
play beach volley. He also brought a box of Pepsi for them. However, since they did not take
anything with permission, the people from whom they took the sand, the net and the Pepsi
demanded them to put the things back. Then Frank Lampard challenged them to play. They
would put the things back if the people could beat them. The well-known team played so well at
the beginning and was so arrogant until its rival beat them by the heading of the hot air balloon
man. At last, they had to put the sand, the net, and the Pepsi back, and confessed their loss.
To make the advertisement clear, the writers enclose the transcription of the
utterances in the advertisement chosen. The transcription is divided into three; there are
orthographic transcription, phonemic transcription, and phonetic transcription. Orthographic
transcription is the spelling letters of the utterance, phonemic transcription is the transcription of
dictionary and the last is phonetic transcription, it is the transcription of how the letters are really
pronounced in the utterance. During the scene, the actors say some utterances that are
phonologically interesting especially because they have many alveolar sounds. Writers are
interested in it then, it seems that their realization varies, the utterances can be seen below
Hey guys! Put our sand back! And the Pepsi!
/he gaz! pt a snd bk! nd peps!/
[he gaz! pu ^au sem b?k! n peps!]

Well play you for it!
/wl ple ju: f: t/
[wl- ple j f ?t]

Thanks!
/+ks/
[+ks]

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Enjoy it!
/nd t/
[nd ?t]

Based on the utterances and interest, eight alveolar sounds that are divided into three
classes: plosive sounds, approximant sounds, and nasal sounds seem to be realized differently.
How are the phonemes used in the utterance realized? To know how exactly the phonemes used
in the utterance are realized, we use the theory of Segmental Phonology Concerning English.
Segmental Phonology studies the system of how languages make use of their segmental sounds
1
.
As a native speaker will never be considered wrong, his/her unusual pronunciation will not be
judged, but should be explained and described.
2
We do some analyses in order to describe and
explain how these eight alveolar sounds used in the utterance are realized.

II. Discussion
There are eight alveolar sounds realized differently in the utterance of the
advertisement. They are divided into three classes: plosive sounds, approximant sounds, and the
last is nasal sounds.
2.1. Alveolar Plosives /t/ and /d/
2.1.1. Phoneme /t/ in it
Alveolar voiceless plosive sound /t/ in the word it is a sound placed at the end of a
syllable, so it is accompanied by a glottal stop. The rule is
+ plosive [ + const. glottis ] /_ # [?t]
- voice
Alveolar sounds are made with the movement of the tongue tip or blade to the alveolar
ridge. Since the voiceless alveolar plosive [t] placed at the end of a word, it is reinforced
with a glottal stop. It has the condition: glottis is completely closed avoiding the air to pass
through and making the pressure below the vocal cord, then they are open to release the
pressure with a forceful our rush of air (similar to a cough) to produce the sound [?].


1
English Phonetic and Phonology Handout, page 20.
2
English Phonetic and Phonology Handout, page 34.

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2.1.2. Phoneme /t/ in put our
Voiceless alveolar plosive sound /t/ in the utterance put our is a sound placed between
two vowels, so it becomes a tap/flap. The rule is
+ plosive [tap/flap] / V_V [pu^au]
+ alveolar
- voice
Flap or a tap is a type of a consonantal sound, which is produced with a single contraction
of the muscles so that one articulator (such as the tongue) is thrown against another.
3
The
/t/ is realized as a flap, so it sounds like [^].
2.1.3. Phoneme /d/ in sand back
Voiced alveolar plosive sound /d/ in the utterance sand back is a sound placed between
two consonants, so it is omitted. Since [d] is omitted, alveolar nasal [n] meets bilabial
plosive [b]. Alveolar nasals become bilabial before bilabial sounds. Two processes occur.
+ plosive [zero] / C_C [sen b?k]
+ alveolar
+ alveolar [+ bilabial] / _ [+ bilabial] [sem b?k]
+ nasal
The first process is deletion of [d] and the second process (actually should be placed in
nasal section, but to make the processes clear, the writers place it in one, plosive section)
is alteration of alveolar nasal [n] becomes bilabial nasal [m]. The both processes happen
because we are generally quite lazy, and would rather make two sounds in the same part of
the mouth than make two in two different places.
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It also makes us easier to pronounce.
2.1.4. Phoneme /d/ in and the
Voiced alveolar plosive sound /d/ in the utterance and the is a sound placed between two
consonants, so it is omitted. Since [d] is omitted, alveolar nasal [n] meets dental sound
[+]. Alveolar sounds become dental before dental sounds. Two processes occur.
+ plosive [zero] / C_C [n]
+ alveolar
[+ alveolar] [+ dental] / _ [+ dental] [n]

3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flap_consonant
4
http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/03/07/your-new-phonetic-phriend-the-velar-nasal/

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The second process actually should be placed in nasal section, but to make the processes
clear, the writers place it in one, plosive section. Alveolar sounds articulator is alveolar
ridge. Dental sounds articulators are dents. So, the sound [n] is realized to be dental sound
before [] since the last articulators used are dents. We are generally quite lazy, and would
rather make two sounds in the same part of the mouth than make two in two different
places.
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It also makes us easier to pronounce.
2.2. Alveolar Approximant /l/
2.2.1 Phoneme /l/ in well
Voiced alveolar lateral approximant /l/ in the utterance well is placed after a vowel, so it
is velarized. Velarization is a secondary articulation of consonants by which the back of
the tongue is raised toward the velum during the articulation of the consonant.
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The rule is
[+lateral] [+dark/velarization] / _ # [w]
It is produced by directing the airstream over the sides of the tongue, rather than down the
middle.
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When we pronounce /l/ after a vowel, the back of the tongue rises toward the soft
palate (the "Velum") while the tip moves up to do the major articulation in the front of the
mouth.
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2.2.2. Phoneme /l/ in play
Voiced alveolar lateral approximant sound /l/ becomes voiceless in the utterance play
because it is placed after aspirated plosive [p] and after voiceless consonant [p]. It is
clearly pronounced since it is word medially before a vowel. Lateral sound is produced
with incomplete closure between one or both sides of the tongue and the roof of the mouth
(palate). The rules are
[+ liquid] [- voice] / + aspiration _ [ple]
+ plosive
+ alveolar [- voice] / [- voice] _ [ple]
+ approximant
[+lateral] [+clear] / _V [ple]

5
http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/03/07/your-new-phonetic-phriend-the-velar-nasal/
6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velarization
7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velarized_alveolar_lateral_approximant
8
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/aue/l-sounds.html

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It becomes voiceless when the sound [l] comes after the sound [p] because the sound will
be produced from lip to tongue. Lateral sound is clearly pronounced because it is produced
without any obstruction, so the air will pass the articulators in quite a free way.

2.3. Alveolar Nasal /n/
2.3.1. Phoneme /n/ in thanks and enjoy
Alveolar nasal sound [n] is elsewhere.
[+ nasal] normal elsewhere [+ks] and [nd]
Nasal sounds are made when the velum is lowered, the nasal tract opens and the sounds
are produced with the obstruction on the mouth but the air goes through the nose. In both
cases above the alveolar nasal [n] is pronounced normally.

III. Conclusion
Based on the analyses using the theory of Segmental Phonology Concerning English,
we conclude that plosive sounds, approximant sounds, and nasal sounds will be realized
differently in the utterance depending on the position, environment, and word boundary of the
discussed phoneme. In plosive sounds, there are two words containing alveolar voiceless plosive
[t] and two other words containing alveolar voiced plosive [d], and they will be realized
differently. First, the sound [t] is accompanied by a glottal stop at the end of a syllable, e.g. it
[?t]. Secondly, the sound [t] becomes a tap/flap when it is a single consonant between two
vowels, e.g. put our [pu^au]. The last is the sound [d] is omitted between two consonants, e.g.
sand back [sen b?k] and and the [n]. In approximant sounds, there are two words
containing voiced alveolar lateral approximant [l] and it has four rules. The first and the second
are the sound [l] becomes voiceless after aspirated plosive [p] and after voiceless consonant [p],
e.g. play [O]]. Third, it is clearly pronounced word medially before a vowel, e.g. play
[O]]. Fourth, it is velarized after a vowel, e.g. well [w]. In nasal sounds, there are two
words containing voiced alveolar nasal [n] and it is normally pronounced, e.g. thanks
[+ks] and enjoy [nd]. Additional rules from the double processes (deletion of [d]
then having nasal rules) are alveolar nasal [n] becomes bilabial before bilabial sounds, e.g. sand
back [sem b?k] and becomes dental before dental sounds, e.g. and the [n].

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Bibliography
English Phonetic and Phonology Handout
http://linguisticmystic.com/2007/03/07/your-new-phonetic-phriend-the-velar-nasal/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flap_consonant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velarization
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velarized_alveolar_lateral_approximant
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/aue/l-sounds.html