Combinatory Phonetics

In the summer of 2024, I conducted an independent study examining sound changes for French loanwords in English and English loanwords in French, with a focus on combinatory phonetics—the ways in which sounds adapt and interact when languages borrow from one another. This study aimed to analyze how phonetic environments shape the pronunciation of borrowed words, revealing patterns of adaptation that reflect both phonological systems and the sociolinguistic relationship between French and English.

My research involved tracking the diachronic development of key loanwords, comparing their phonetic evolution in both source and borrowing languages. I explored phenomena such as vowel shifts, consonantal substitutions, and stress reassignments, paying particular attention to how phonological rules from each language influenced the assimilation of borrowed forms. This work not only deepened my understanding of historical phonology but also highlighted the dynamic nature of language contact and sound change in the development of French and English.