Which types of phonological processes are evident in this brief sample: duck → [dʌt], tree → [ti], dress → [dɛs], can → [tæn], tank → [tæn], coat → [tot], pat → [pæt], stop → [tɑp], go → [do], gate → [det], come → [tʌm]?

• A. Substitution and harmony processes.
• B. Syllable structure and harmony processes.
• C. Syllable structure and substitution processes.
• D. Substitution, syllable structure, and harmony processes.

Answer: (C)

Syllable structure changes and sound substitutions are at work here. The frequent replacements of velars with alveolar stops (k or g turning into t or d) illustrate velar fronting, a straightforward substitution process. You can see this in duck becoming dʌt, coat becoming tot, gate becoming det, and come becoming tʌm, among others.

At the same time, several forms show simplification of the syllable rather than new sounds: tree reduces the onset cluster tr to a single t, dress reduces dr to d, stop reduces st to t, and tank drops the final cluster ŋk. These are syllable-structure changes (cluster reduction/deletion).

There’s no clear example of harmony in this set—no spreading of a feature from one segment to another across the word. So the data best reflect a combination of substitution and syllable-structure processes.