PHONEMIC THEORY IN ENGLISH: PHONEMES AND ALLOPHONES

Аннотация:

This article presents an expanded structural and functional analysis of phonemic theory within the English phonological system, with particular emphasis on the systematic relationship between phonemes and their allophonic realizations. Grounded in the theoretical traditions of European structuralism and generative phonology, the study conceptualizes phonemes as abstract cognitive units that acquire phonetic substance through context-sensitive rules. Using minimal pair analysis, distributional evidence, and contextual phonological interpretation, the research examines aspiration, lateral velarization, alveolar flapping, and vowel duration as core manifestations of English allophony. The findings demonstrate that allophonic variation in English is strictly rule-governed and integral to phonological competence rather than peripheral phonetic detail. The article further argues that insufficient phonemic awareness constitutes a primary source of pronunciation difficulty for second language learners. Pedagogical and applied implications are discussed with reference to pronunciation instruction, speech therapy, and speech technology. The study contributes to contemporary phonological debate by reaffirming the explanatory power of phonemic theory in both theoretical and applied domains.