Table 1 Previously proposed sonority (aperture) scales.
Sonority (aperture) scale | Proposed category | Corresponding English phonemes |
|---|---|---|
de Saussure (1916/1959)14 | ||
6 | a | /æ, αː,Λ |
5 | e, o, ö | /e, ɔ, ɔː/ |
4 | i, u, ü | /I, iː, ℧, uː, j, w/ |
3 | Liquids | /l, r/ |
2 | Nasals | /m, n, ŋ/ |
1 | Fricatives | /θ, ð, f, v, s, z, ʃ, ʒ/ |
0 | Occlusives | /p, t, k, b, d, g/ |
Selkirk (1984)15 | ||
10 | a | /æ, αː, Λ/ |
9 | e, o | /e, ɔ, ɔː/ |
8 | i, u | /I, iː,℧,uː/ |
7 | r | /r/ |
6 | l | /l/ |
5 | m, n | /m, n/ |
4 | s | /s/ |
3 | v, z, ð | /v, z, ð/ |
2 | f, θ | /f, θ/ |
1 | b, d, g | /b, d, g/ |
0.5 | p, t, k | /p, t, k/ |
Harris (1994)7 | ||
5 | Low vowels | /æ, αː Λ, e, ɔ, ɔː/ |
4 | High vowels and glides | /I, iː, ℧, uː, j, w/ |
3 | Liquids | /l, r/ |
2 | Nasals | /m, n, ŋ/ |
1 | Fricatives | /θ, ð, f, v, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/ |
0 | Plosives | /p, t, k, b, d, g/ |
Spencer (1996)1 | ||
5 | Vowels | /æ, αː, Λ, e, ɔ, %ː, ə, əː, I, iː, ℧, uː, aI, a℧, eə, eI, ɔI, ə℧, Iə, ℧ə/ |
4 | Glides | /j, w/ |
3 | Liquids | /l, r/ |
2 | Nasals | /m, n, ŋ/ |
1 | Fricatives and affricates | /θ, ð, f, v, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h, tʃ, dʒ/ |
0 | Plosives | /p, t, k, b, d, g/ |
