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 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, 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

Whats 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.
Whats 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],

These are [strident] consonants.

or

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 phonemes 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 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 the
feature [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 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]
Lets try our hand at a few of these