Anyone who expresses themselves in a different language is classified as an allophone.
Allophone is a term that refers to one that is expressed in a different language , according to the first meaning that appears in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ). It is, in this case, an adjective.
For example: “If of a group of five men, four speak in English and the fifth is allophone, this last subject will have difficulties understanding the conversations they have in Shakespeare's language ,” “The team is Dominican but the coach is allophone.” , that's why he has a translator” , “I consider myself an allophone Argentine writer, since I don't write in Spanish” .
Allophone as a variant of a phoneme
The concept of allophone, on the other hand, refers to the different variants that may exist of a certain phoneme , according to the location of the phoneme in question in the syllable or in the word or according to the characteristics presented by adjacent phonemes.
In simpler terms, allophones are the different sounds that a phoneme can adopt according to the context , without changing its value . In our language, the letters G , D and B can have different allophones depending on their particular use.
Take the case of the letter B. It can acquire a plosive sound, as in the term “combat” , or a fricative sound, as in the word “alba” . B , therefore, presents two allophones. As you can see, the value of the letter does not change, although its pronunciation does vary. Allophones mark these alterations that depend on the context in which the letter appears.
An allophone is a variant of a phoneme.
Concepts to consider
Before continuing, it is necessary to briefly define the concepts related to the types of sounds that consonants can produce. A stop consonant first creates a sound that obstructs the flow of air for a fraction of the time until it finally releases the passage. If we think again about the letter B in the word "combat" , we will notice that between the end of the M and the beginning of the A there is a small period of time in which the air stops leaving the mouth.
On the other hand, the concept of allophone is also related to the fricative consonant , the one that is generated when the articulatory organs narrow or contract, causing an alteration in the passage of air that manifests itself as friction, which can take on various forms. degrees of " turbulence" .
In the case of the term "alba" , the organs that we narrow to pronounce it are the lips, while to say "seal" we take advantage of the upper teeth and the lower lip to reduce the passage of air and give rise to that sound so characteristic of the letter F.
Another case of a fricative sound occurs when pronouncing the letter X , and here the soft palate and the back of the tongue come into play; for example, in the word "extra." Two synonyms of fricative are "strident" and "spirant" , although these days they are not as common.
Other examples of allophones
Our language has more examples of allophones, although not as many as English or Catalan, for example. However, the fundamental problem when identifying them is not the scarcity but the little force that we give to the consonants when speaking Spanish, although this varies depending on the accent.
The letter D presents a particular case, in which this difficulty is appreciated: in the term "given" , the pronunciation of the D is not the same in both syllables, although the difference is almost imperceptible. In the first syllable the consonant is plosive, while in the second it is an approximative fricative, since it lets the air out with a friction that can be slightly heard.