Diaphoneme?

DX   Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:50 pm GMT
Does anyone know what a diaphoneme is? I tried to google it but didn't find anything helpful.
Lazar   Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:32 pm GMT
I became familiar with this term when reading Luciano Canepari's stuff. If I'm not mistaken, a diaphoneme is sort of like a "historical phoneme" that you can use to do a phonemic transcription of more than one dialect at the same time. So when you do a diaphonemic transcription, you basically put together all the phonemic distinctions from both dialects.

As an example, let me show you some diaphonemic transcriptions of RP and General American (for which I'll use vertical lines) along with phonemic transcriptions (for which I'll use brackets).

So let's posit some diaphonemes. |{| becomes /{/ in both RP and GA; and |A:| becomes /A:/ in both RP and GA; and |{:| (a diaphoneme accounting for the "trap-bath" split) becomes /A:/ in RP, but /{/ in GA.

"cat" |"k{t| → RP /"k{t/, GA /"k{t/
"father" |"fA:D@`| → RP /"fA:D@/, GA /"fA:D@`/
"pass" |"p{:s| → RP /"pA:s/, GA /"p{s/

For another example, let's say that |Q| becomes /Q/ in RP and /A:/ in GA; and |O:| becomes /O:/ in RP and /Q:/ in GA; And |Q:| (accounting for the lot-cloth split) becomes /Q/ in RP and /Q:/ in GA.

"cot" //"kQt// → RP /"kQt/, GA /"kA:t/
"cloth" //"klQ:T// → RP /"klQT/, GA /"klQ:T/
"caught" //"kO:t// → RP /"kO:t/, GA /"kQ:t/

I hope this was understandable. ;-)
Lazar   Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:34 pm GMT
(Sorry, in the last three examples I accidentally used double brackets instead of verticle lines for the diaphonemes.)
DX   Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:16 am GMT
Thank you very much Lazar!! How nice of you to give those examples, that was very understandable and helpful =)