Blog Post #3 - Be a Linguistic Detective!

Be a Linguistic Detective!  Solve Two Linguistic "Mysteries"!

1. The Case of the Changing Prefix

We form negative meanings for words in like audible and edible by adding the prefix in- (inaudible and inedible). First, determine the negative versions of the following words:

balance      compatible     complete        decent             glorious     gratitude     legal        literate     mature     perfect       possible          rational           responsible     sane           tolerant       variable

Now, explain why some of the prefixes are different.  What are the phonological processes involved with their pronunciation?

2.  The Case of the Shifting Plural Suffix

The use of the plural -s has three different ways of pronunciation.  

a.  The plural sounds like /s/ for words like bat, book, cough, and ship.  

b.  However, it sounds like /z/ for words like cab, cave, lad, rag, and thing. 

c.  And the plural sounds like /ez/ for words like bus, bush, church, judge, and maze.

First, identify the phoneme that comes just before the plural in each of these words.

Now, can you discover what these sets of sounds (the final phoneme of the word and the phoneme for the type of plural it uses) have in common?

**Your BP#3 is due by Wednesday, Sept. 28**