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• the vowel [a] is central (not front, as in some charts) because it can participate in a 3-way color contrast: [æ] vs. [a] vs. [ ] • this feature system is 3-valued with 0 = unspecified (assumed to be obligatory for place features whose mother’s value is ‘-’)
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Formally, phonological rules are operations on features. A phonological rule adds a feature or changes some value of an already specified feature. In a phonological rule, --> is therefore a metaphor for ‘change’ or ‘add’. Phonological rules identify classes of sounds via feature(s)
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- I. Why use phonological features?
- II. Our model of phonological features
- [±consonantal]
- Model construction: Distinguishes vowels and glides from non-glide consonants:
- [±syllabic]
- [±sonorant]
- Distinguishes sonorants from obstruents:
- [±voice]
- [±continuant]
- [±nasal]
- [±strident]
- [±lateral]
- [LAB] — Bilabial and labiodental consonants
- [±anterior]
- [DOR(S)] — Velar and uvular consonants; palatals are [COR, DORS]
- [±high]
- [±low]
- [±back]
- [±round]
We have found that some phonetic properties of sounds are relevant for their phonological behavior. For example, groups of sounds with shared properties often behave in a similar way, as seen in the Arabic problem. (A group of sounds with shared properties that behave as a group phonologically is called a phonologically natural class.) Another e...
The features listed below are each given: a phonetically based definition (as a memory aid — not a formal part of our model) a description in terms of which natural classes of sounds they distinguish (this is the actual content of our feature model!) In learning these features, focus on how they designate, or distinguish between, sound classes! A. ...
Phonetic basis: [+cons] segments have at least as much constriction in the vocal tract as a liquid. [–cons] segments do not.
[+cons] — Stops, fricatives, africates, nasals, liquids [–cons] — Glides, vowels • Glotal segments such as [h] and glotal stop patern phonologically as [–cons] in some languages, probably because their only constriction is right at the glotis.
[+syll] segments form the nucleus, also called peak, of a syllable. [–syll] segments do not. Distinguishes vowels from glides; also distinguishes syllabic consonants from other consonants in languages where this distinction is relevant. [+syll] — Vowels and syllabic consonants [–syll] — Glides and non-syllabic consonants • Note that this feature de...
[+son] segments have frictionless airflow in either the oral or the nasal tract (so nasal stops are [+son]). [–son] segments have airflow that is significantly obstructed in the vocal tract overall.
[+son] — Sonorants (nasals, liquids, glides, vowels) [–son] — Obstruents (stops, fricatives, africates)
[+voi] segments are produced with vibrating vocal folds. [–voi] segments are not. Distinguishes voiced segments from voiceless segments: [+voi] — Voiced segments [–voi] — Voiceless segments
[+cont] segments are produced with moving air in the oral tract. [–cont] segments are not. (Note that the status of the nasal tract is not relevant for this feature.) Distinguishes stops — oral and nasal — from all other segments: [+cont] — All segments other than oral and nasal stops [–cont] — Oral and nasal stops What about africates? They are po...
[+nas] segments have a lowered velum, which allows nasal airflow. [–nas] segments do not. Distinguishes nasal segments from oral segments: [+nas] — Nasal stops, nasalized vowels, other nasalized segments [–nas] — All oral segments
[+strid] segments are produced with high-frequency fricative noise. [–strid] segments are not (they may be fricatives/africates with lower-frequency noise, or they may be non-fricatives). For coronal segments, distinguishes sibilants from nonsibilants. Many phonologists also use this feature to distinguish labiodentals from bilabials, but this is m...
[+lat] segments are produced with lateral (side) airflow around a central constriction. [–lat] segments do not have exclusively lateral airflow (they may have central airflow, or none). Distinguishes lateral segments from central segments: [+lat] — Lateral segments, including [l], the palatal lateral liquid in Spanish, the coronal lateral fricative...
[CORONAL] [COR] segments have the tip or blade of the tongue as their active articulator. [COR] — Dental, alveolar, postalveolar, and retroflex consonants; palatals are [COR, DORS]
[+ant] segments are produced in the forward half of the coronal region; [–ant] segments are produced in the posterior half. [+ant] — Dental and alveolar consonants [–ant] — Postalveolar and retroflex consonants This feature is special because only segments that are [CORONAL] have any value for [±ant] at all. [COR] segments may be [+ant] or [–ant], ...
• We have not yet considered how to distinguish velar from uvular consonants. [GLOTTAL] [GLOT] segments have the glotis (vocal folds) as their active articulator. [GLOT] — Glotal consonants C. VOWEL FEATURES: These features are specified for vowels.
[+hi] segments have the tongue body higher than neutral (mid) position; [–hi] segments do not. [+hi] — High vowels [–hi] — Mid and low vowels
[+lo] segments have the tongue body lower than neutral (mid) position; [–lo] segments do not. [+lo] — Low vowels [–lo] — High and mid vowels Mid vowels are [–hi, –lo] No segment can be simultaneously [+hi] and [+lo]
[–bk] segments have the tongue body farther forward than the neutral (central) position; [+bk] segments do not. [+bk] — Back and central vowels [–bk] — Front vowels • Our feature system does not easily distinguish between central and back vowels that are the same with respect to height and rounding (except potentially through a diference in [±ATR...
[+rd] segments have lip rounding; [–rd] segments do not. [+rd] — Round vowels [–rd] — Unrounded vowels [±ATR] (advanced tongue root) [+ATR] segments have the root of the tongue in an advanced (forward) position; [–ATR] segments do not. [+ATR] — Tense vowels, including [i e y u o] [–ATR] — Lax vowels There is some debate over the nature of this feat...
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• The vowel [a] is central (not front, as in some charts) because it can participate in a 3-way color contrast: [æ] vs. [a] vs. [ ]. • The feature system here is 3-valued. ‘0’ = unspecified and is obligatory for any place feature whose mother is specified ‘ - ’
The study of how speech sounds form patterns is. phonology. Phonology tells us what sounds are in a language, how they do and can combine into words, and explains why certain phonetic features are important to identifying a word.
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People also ask
What are phonological features?
Why do we need a new phonological feature?
Why do phonological patterns vary across languages?
How can phonology and phonetics improve our understanding of sound patterns?
Distinctive feature theory began largely as a model for reducing the number of phonological contrasts in a language, and the feature system that was developed for this purpose was gradually embellished in order to provide an account for more and more facts about sound patterns and typology.
Examples: - Vowels represented by the symbols [ʌ] or [ə] are frequently [–ATR]. But in some languages, [ʌ] or [ə] may be the [+ATR] counterpart of [a] or [ɑ]. - In a language with a small vowel inventory, there may be little or no phonological evidence about the value of [±ATR] at all.
