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Write a short essay (minimum 2 pages, 12 point Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins).
Topic: Using the following data, demonstrate your understanding of the concepts of phoneme,
allophones, and contrastive and complementary distribution.
Data set 1
Farsi
Examine these sounds: [r] voiced trill [r̻] voiceless trill [ɾ] voiced flap
Data set 2
Modern Greek
Examine these sounds:
[x] voiceless velar fricative
[k] voiceless velar stop
[ç] voiceless palatal fricative
[c] voiceless palatal stop
Introduction: Begin your essay by explaining the definitions of and differences between
phonetics and phonology. Talk about phonemes and allophones. Tell the reader that you will
provide examples of the sound system of the two languages by demonstrating phonemic analysis.
The data: Introduce the languages (where they are spoken, how many speakers, what language
family) and the data in paragraph form and by providing tables. Tell the reader what to expect
(whether the sounds in question are in contrastive distribution, are allophones of the same
phoneme, etc.)—this is your thesis statement.
Analysis: Proceed to explain how to solve the phonological problems, the logical steps, and how
you arrived at your conclusions. You may use further tables, but the reader should not have to
deduce your conclusions from the tables. Be sure to explain in words what your tables show.
Conclusion: Restate the main conclusions regarding the data. Explain how these data show that
language is an organized system, especially in the relationships among its sounds.
Make sure your paper has a snappy title (no boring titles!) that relates to the main point of the
essay. Put your name and section # on the paper as well as your TA’s name to help us sort
papers into sections.