1. Phonology
LANE - 335
Chapter 6
(Features)
· Features are basically correlates of speech sounds.
· Phonology provides concise description of features.
· Features distinguish each phonemes from the other phonemes of a given language.
· Each speech sound is not 'single whole, but is rather composed of a number of separate but simultaneous
physical events.
6.1 Segmental Composition
· Natural Class
ü Sounds that share in some features.
ü No other sounds share them.
Example: [p, t, k] constitute a natural class of (voiceless stops)
· [t] and [v] do not constitute a natural class. Why? Because they differ in a number of ways such as:
(1) The state of vocal cords,
(2) The active articulator (tongue blade vs. lower lip)
(3) The passive articulator (alveolar ridge vs upper teeth)
(4) The distance between the articulators.
· Natural classes may consist of any number of sounds, fro two (2), as in [t, d], to many, as in the class of
vowels. .
6.2 Phonetic vs. phonological features
· Binary Features: A feature which has just two values ( + or - ).
· Disadvantages of binary features:
1- The majority on 'natural class' can only be defined negatively
2- There is no way of referring to some groups we often need. Such as those consisting of more than one
place of articulation
3- It makes possible many combinations of feature values which are not needed by languages or cannot
be articulated.
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2. Phonology
LANE - 335
· Phonological Features:
1- [anterior] ([+anterior] sounds are produced no further back in the oral tract than the alveolar ridge.)
2- [coronal] ([+ coronal] sounds are produced in the area bounded by the teeth and hard palate.)
Alveolars Velars
Labials Palatal
Dentals Uvulars
[+ anterior]
[p, b, f, v]
[- coronal]
[+ anterior]
[t, d, s, z, θ, ð]
[+ coronal]
[- anterior]
[+ coronal
[j, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ]
[- anterior]
[k, g, x, R]
[- coronal]
6.3 Charting the feature
· One of the goal of linguistics is to determine the universal properties of human language.
6.3.1 Major Class Feature
1- Syllabic
2- Consonantal
3- Sonorant
1- [+ / - Syllabic]: to distinguish vowels and other sounds.
[+syll]: vowels.
[-syll]: other sounds.
2- [+ / - consonantal]: distinguish true consonants from vowels and glides
[+ con]: all sound except vowels and glides
[- con]: vowel and glides
3- [+ / - sonorant ] distinguish vowels, glides, liquids and nasals form oral stops, affricate and fricatives
[+son ] :liquids , nasals
[- son] : oral stop + affricates + fricatives
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3. Phonology
LANE - 335
Speech Sounds
Consonant Vowels
Voicing Feature Place Feature Manner Feature Vocalic Feature
[+ voi] [+ cor] [+ cont]
[-voi] [- cor] [- cont] Height Backness Length
[High – Low] [Back – Front]
Roundness
[tense]
[+ ant] [+ nas]
[- ant] [- nas]
[+ hi] [+ back] [+ rnd] [+ tns]
[- hi] [- back] [- rnd] [- tns]
[+ strid]
[- strid] [+ lo] [+ front]
[- lo] [- front]
[+ lat]
[- lat]
[+ del rel]
[-del rel]
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4. Phonology
LANE - 335 Very important table
Distinctive Features for English Consonants
P b f v k g tʃ dʒ ʃ ʒ s z θ ð t d h m n ɳ ɹ l w j
Syll - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -/+ -/+ -/+ -/+ -/+ - -
Cons + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + - -
Son - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + + + + + + +
Cor - - - - - - + + + + + + + + + + - - + - + + - +
Ant + + + + - - - - - - + + + + + + - + + - + + - -
Cont - - + + - - - - + + + + + + - - + - - - + + + +
Nas - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + + + - - - -
Stri - - + + - - + + + + + + - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lat - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - -
Del rel - - - - - - + + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
High - - - - + + + + + + - - - - - - - - - + - - + +
Low - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - -
Back - - - - - + - - - - - - - - - - - - - + - - - -
Round - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + -
voice - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + + + + + + +
Distinctive feature for English Vowels
i: i U: u ɔ O: ɒ ɑ: ʌ æ e: ɛ ə ɜ:
High + + + + - - - - - - - - - -
Low - - - - - - + + + + - - - -
Back - - + + + + + + - - - - - -
front + + - - - - - - - + + + - -
Round - - + + + + + - - - - - - -
tense + - + - - + - + - - + - - +
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