Phonology, part 4:Distinctive Features

March 13, 2012

Mid-termrehash!

> 90: 10

80 - 89: 17

70 - 79: 13

60 - 69: 16

< 60: 14

Average: 71.9

High: 96.5

MT% = 2.6*QW + 41.2

R2 = 22%

Natural Classes The same rules apply to /p/, /t/ and /k/. Why?

/p/, /t/ and /k/ form a natural class of sounds in English.

They are all voiceless stops

No other sound in English is a voiceless stop

A natural class is set of sounds in a language that:

share one or more (phonetic) features

to the exclusion of all other sounds in that language.

and function together in phonological rules.

The phonetic features primarily include the phoneticlabels weve already learned.

although well need to make some additions.

Natural Class Examples For instance, in English:

1. [k], [g], form the natural class of velar stops

2. [u] and [o] form the natural class of rounded, tensevowels.

What natural classes are formed by the followinggroups of sounds?

[t], [s]

[v], , [z],

, ,

This is actually useful. Phonological patterns are often formed by naturalclasses of sounds.

Ex: the (regular) English past tense exhibits allomorphy.

Allomorph 1: [d]

study studied fear feared

mail mailed loan loaned

Allomorph 2:

collect collected mate mated

wade waded need needed

Whats the natural class of segments that induces thechange?

New Features There are a few features in phonology that are moregeneral than the ones we find in phonetics.

For instance: the Arabic Sun and Moon letters.

Whats the pattern?

New Features

The Sun letters include alveolars, post-alveolars andinterdentals

= sounds made with the front part of the tongue

The Moon letters include everything else.

New feature: [CORONAL] is a cover term for alveolars,post-alveolars and interdentals.

Assimilation The change undergone by the definite article in Arabicis called assimilation.

= when one sound becomes more similar toanother in its environment.

In the Arabic case, there is complete, or totalassimilation.

but individual features can also change, as inplace assimilation.

Ex: In English, /n/ often takes on the place ofarticulation of a following consonant.

unpleasant

engrossed

More Assimilation Remember this pattern?

Plural forms:

cat: dog:

match: judge:

chair: pass:

hose: puck:

The basic form of the plural is [z].

It exhibits voicing assimilation when followingvoiceless segments

becoming voiceless [s].

More Assimilation Remember this pattern?

Plural forms:

cat: dog:

match: judge:

chair: pass:

hose: puck:

The basic form of the plural is [z].

It becomes when it follows [s], [z], or .

These are [strident] consonants.

Some New Features Only CORONAL consonants can be [strident].

strident = noisy

Other place of articulation features:

LABIAL (involves the lips)

includes both bilabials and labio-dentals

[p], [b], [m], [f], [v]

DORSAL (involves the back of tongue)

includes both palatals and velars

[k], [g], [j]

Distinctive Features The features used to describe natural classes of soundsin phonology are known as distinctive features.

because they distinguish between otherwiseidentical sounds.

The distinctions made by features are (almost always)denoted by a [+] or [-] in front of the feature name.

For instance, stops and fricatives are distinguished bythe feature [continuant].

[s] = [+continuant] (air flows steadily through mouth)

[t] = [-continuant] (air does not flow steadily throughmouth)

(Note: nasals and affricates are also [-continuant])

Hitting Bottom Distinctive features are considered to be the basicbuilding blocks of language.

Sentences

Words

Morphemes

Phonemes

Features

The set of features is therefore universal.

The distinctive features determine:

What contrasts a sound makes with other sounds.

What natural classes a sound belongs to.

Feature Matrices All of a phonemes feature specifications (+ or -) can belumped together into a feature matrix.

For example: [t] =

Note: - is the default (unmarked) value.

Also note: there are complete feature matrices for allEnglish sounds on pages 88 and 89 of the textbook.

Sub-Features, part 1 Note: the place features LABIAL, CORONAL, DORSALare special in that they are not preceded by either + or -

(the textbook puts a () before them)

Some features only apply when a particular placefeature is also part of a sounds feature matrix.

For instance: only CORONALS can be strident.

Also: [anterior] applies only to CORONALS.

Is the sound at or in front of the alveolar ridge?

Yes: [+anterior] = interdentals, alveolars

No: [-anterior] = post-alveolars (=posterior)

Sub-Features, part 2 A sub-feature for LABIAL is ROUND.

= are the lips rounded?

All rounded vowels are [LABIAL]

and all rounded vowels are [+round]

However: LABIAL consonants in English are [-round]

with the exception of [w], which is [+round]

Sub-Features, part 3 DORSAL has the following sub-features:

1. [+back] vowels are (phonetically) back.

[-back] vowels are (phonetically) front. Also: palatal consonants ([j]) are [-back];

Velar consonants ([k], [g]) are [+back]2. [high] distinguishes high and non-high vowels

3. [low] distinguishes low and non-low vowels

(mid vowels are [-high], [-low])4. Tense vowels are [+tense], and lax vowels are [-tense]

is [+reduced]

More Major Features Note: consonants and vowels are distinguished by[consonantal]

Two major classes of consonants are distinguished by thefeature [sonorant]:

[+sonorant] segments resonate when theyre produced

they include vowels, glides, liquids and nasals

[-sonorant] segments include:

stops, fricatives and affricates

these sounds obstruct the flow of air in the mouth

= obstruents

In English, only sonorants can be [+syllabic]

Laryngeal Features Voiced and voiceless segments are distinguished by[voice]

Aspirated consonants are [+spread glottis]

also: [h]

And glottalized consonants are [+constricted glottis]

this includes the glottal stop

.but otherwise you can ignore this one.

Finally: affricates are distinguished from fricatives by[delayed release]

Affricates = [+delayed release]

Fricatives = [-delayed release]

Just for fun: Voice Quality There are three primary types of vocal fold vibration:

1. modal

vocal folds lightly adducted; flow of air causesperiodic opening and closing of folds

2. breathy

vocal folds slightly apart; flow of air makes foldswave in the wind

Breathy voice is [+voice], [+spread glottis]

3. creaky

vocal folds tensely adducted; low airflow causesirregular, low frequency voicing

Creaky voice is [+voice], [+constricted glottis]

The point of it all Phonological rules can (and should) always beexpressed in terms of distinctive features.

For instance, voicing assimilation (for English plurals):

[+voice] [-voice] / [-voice] ____

[+continuant]

[CORONAL]

[+strident]

Lets try our hand at a few of these