How does aspiration change with the placement of a consonant within a word?

When considering how aspiration changes with the placement of a consonant within a word, it’s important to understand the role of diacritics in phonetic transcription. When a voiceless plosive consonant, such as /p/, /t/, or /k/, occurs at the beginning of a stressed syllable, it is typically aspirated. This aspiration is indicated by a diacritic, which modifies the basic phonemic symbol to reflect its phonetic realization. Therefore, while the phonemic symbol itself remains constant, the diacritic to indicate aspiration is added to show this specific phonetic feature when the consonant is placed at the beginning of a word.

In contrast, aspirated voiceless plosive consonants within a word (not at the beginning of a stressed syllable) do not carry this aspiration. Hence, the presence or absence of aspiration is represented through diacritics without changing the underlying phonemic representation. This is why the correct answer emphasizes that only the diacritic changes while the phonemic symbol remains constant. Understanding the phonetic nuances of aspiration helps in both accurate transcription and pronunciation in speech science.