Phonology, part 4: Distinctive Features

March 13, 2012

Mid-term rehash!

> 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 phonetic labels we’ve already learned.

• …although we’ll 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, tense vowels.

• What natural classes are formed by the following groups of sounds?

• [t], [s]

• [v], , [z],

• , ,

This is actually useful.• Phonological patterns are often formed by natural classes 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

• What’s the natural class of segments that induces the change?

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

• For instance: the Arabic Sun and Moon letters.

• What’s the pattern?

New Features

• The “Sun letters” include alveolars, post-alveolars and interdentals

• = 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 Arabic is called assimilation.

• = when one sound becomes more similar to another in its environment.

• In the Arabic case, there is complete, or total assimilation.

• …but individual features can also change, as in place assimilation.

• Ex: In English, /n/ often takes on the place of articulation 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 following voiceless 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 sounds in phonology are known as distinctive features.

• …because they distinguish between otherwise identical 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 by the feature [continuant].

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

• [t] = [-continuant] (air does not flow steadily through mouth)

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

Hitting Bottom• Distinctive features are considered to be the basic building 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 phoneme’s feature specifications (+ or -) can be lumped together into a feature matrix.

• For example: [t] =

• Note: - is the default (unmarked) value.

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

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

• (the textbook puts a () before them)

• Some features only apply when a particular place feature is also part of a sound’s 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 the feature [sonorant]:

• [+sonorant] segments resonate when they’re 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 causes periodic opening and closing of folds

2. breathy

• vocal folds slightly apart; flow of air makes folds “wave” in the wind

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

3. creaky

• vocal folds tensely adducted; low airflow causes irregular, low frequency voicing

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

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

• For instance, voicing assimilation (for English plurals):

• [+voice] [-voice] / [-voice] ____

[+continuant]

[CORONAL]

[+strident]

• Let’s try our hand at a few of these…