THE DYNAMICS OF ENGLISH PHONETICS: A CROSS-TEMPORAL SYNERGETIC ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH PHONETIC AND PHONOLOGICAL CHANGES

Year 2024, Volume: 5 Issue: 3, 775 - 795, 24.09.2024

Sinan Özyurt

Abstract

The dynamic nature of English phonetic and phonological systems presents a fertile area for research, particularly when examined within the context of cross-temporal changes and synergetic theory. This study conducts a thorough investigation of the phonetic and phonological developments in English language by covering periods from historical to contemporary times and utilizing a synergetic approach to dissect the intricacies of linguistic evolution. In the study a mixed-methods research design was employed by integrating quantitative analysis of phonetic data with qualitative insights from phonological theory. The historical phonetic data were extracted from archival recordings and written texts, while the contemporary data were sourced from linguistic corpora such as the International Corpus of English (ICE) and the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Acoustic analysis, involving vowel formants, consonant voicing, and prosodic patterns, was performed using Praat software, and phonological analysis was guided by Optimality Theory. In this sense, statistical modeling techniques were applied to identify patterns and trends. By tracing the development of English phonetics from Old English to the modern era, this study highlights significant shifts influenced by social change, technological innovation, and linguistic contact with other languages. The application of synergetics provides a novel framework for understanding these changes, focusing on the interaction of individual linguistic elements and their collective impact. The study further offers insights into the mechanisms driving phonological evolution and discusses implications for linguistic theory, language teaching, and future research.

Keywords

English phonetics, Phonological changes, Synergetic theory, Linguistic evolution, Historical linguistics, Cross-temporal analysis

İNGİLİZCE FONETİK DİNAMİKLERİ: İNGİLİZCE’DEKİ FONETİK VE FONOLOJİK DEĞİŞİMLERİN ZAMANSAL VE SİNERJETİK ANALİZİ

Abstract

İngilizce fonetik ve fonolojik sistemlerinin dinamik doğası, özellikle zamansal değişimler ve sinerjetik teori bağlamında incelendiğinde verimli bir araştırma alanı sunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, tarihsel dönemlerden modern zamanlara kadar İngilizce'nin fonetik ve fonolojik gelişimlerini kapsamlı bir şekilde incelemekte ve dil evrimindeki ayrıntıları çözümlemek için sinerjetik bir yaklaşım kullanmaktadır. Çalışmada, nicel fonetik verilerin analizi ile nitel fonolojik teoriden elde edilen verilerin birleştirildiği karma yöntemli bir araştırma tasarımı kullanılmıştır. Tarihsel fonetik veriler arşiv kayıtlarından ve yazılı metinlerden elde edilirken, modern döneme ilişkin veriler Uluslararası İngilizce Korpus'u (ICE) ve Çağdaş Amerikan İngilizcesi Korpus'u (COCA) gibi dilsel korpuslardan temin edilmiştir. Ünlü formantları, ünsüz seslendirmesi ve prosodik kalıpları içeren akustik analiz, Praat yazılımı kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiş ve fonolojik analizde Optimalite Teorisi’nden yararlanılmıştır. Bu amaçla, gerekli desenlerin ve eğilimlerin belirlenmesi için istatistiksel modelleme teknikleri uygulanmıştır. Çalışmada, Eski İngilizce'den modern döneme kadar İngilizce fonetiğinin gelişimi takip edilerek, sosyal değişim, teknolojik yenilikler ve diğer dillerle dilsel temasın etkilediği önemli değişimler ele alınmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, sinerjetik yaklaşım, bireysel dil unsurlarının etkileşimi ve toplu etkilerine odaklanarak bu değişimleri anlamada yenilikçi bir çerçeve sunmaktadır. Çalışmada ayrıca fonolojik değişimi yönlendiren mekanizmalar hakkında görüşler sunulmakta ve dilbilim kuramı, dil öğretimi ve gelecekteki araştırmalar için önemli çıkarımlar üzerinde durulmaktadır.

Keywords

İngilizce fonetik, Fonolojik değişimler, Sinerjetik teori, Dil evrimi, Tarihsel dilbilim, Zamansal analiz

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