Affricates

In determining whether a particular combination of sounds in a given language is affricated or a combination of phonemes , seven rules are used that N. S. Trubetskoy deduced to distinguish individual phonemes from combinations of phonemes ^[1] :

1) The realization of one phoneme can only be considered a combination of sounds, the components of which in a given language are not distributed across two syllables.

So, in the Russian language [c] does not break up at the boundary of the syllable: lyso . At the same time, in the Finnish and English languages, the complex [ts] is necessarily divided: English. hot-spot "hot spot" or fin. it-se "self."

2) A group of sounds can be considered the realization of one phoneme only if it is formed using a single articulation or is created in the process of a gradual decrease or reduction of the articulation complex.

3) A group of sounds should be considered the realization of one phoneme, if its duration does not exceed the duration of other phonemes in the given language.

4) A potentially single-phonemic group of sounds (that is, a group that meets the requirements of the previous three rules) should be considered the realization of one phoneme if it occurs in such positions where, according to the rules of this language, combinations of phonemes of a certain kind are unacceptable.

So, in a number of African languages there are complexes [mb] and [nd] at the beginning of a word. However, there are no other combinations of consonants in this position, therefore, such complexes are considered one phoneme. In Cypriot Greek, the complexes [mb] and [nd] are found at the beginning of the word along with other combinations of consonants, therefore the combinations [mb] and [nd] are considered to consist of two phonemes.

5) A group of sounds that meets the requirements formulated in rules 1-3 should be considered a simple phoneme if it follows from the entire system of a given language.

6) If the component of a potentially single-phonemic group of sounds cannot be interpreted as a combinatorial version of any phoneme of a given language, then the whole group of sounds should be considered as the realization of one phoneme.

7) If one sound and a group of sounds satisfying the above phonetic prerequisites are related to each other as optional or combinatorial options, and if the group of sounds is an implementation of a group of phonemes, then one sound should be considered as the realization of the same group of phonemes.