linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...

, complementary distribution, as distinct from

contrastive distribution Contrastive distribution in linguistics, as opposed to complementary distribution or free variation, is the relationship between two different elements in which both elements are found in the same environment with a change in meaning. Phonology I ...

and

free variation In linguistics, free variation is the phenomenon of two (or more) sounds or forms appearing in the same environment without a change in meaning and without being considered incorrect by native speakers. Sociolinguists argue that describing such ...

, is the relationship between two different elements of the same kind in which one element is found in one set of environments and the other element is found in a non-intersecting (complementary) set of environments. The term often indicates that two superficially-different elements are the same linguistic unit at a deeper level, though more than two elements can be in complementary distribution with one another.

In phonology

Complementary distribution is the distribution of phones in their respective phonetic environments in which one phone never appears in the same phonetic context as the other. When two variants are in complementary distribution, one can predict when each will occur because one can simply look at the environment in which the allophone is occurring. Complementary distribution is commonly applied to

phonology Phonology is the branch of linguistics that studies how languages or dialects systematically organize their sounds or, for sign languages, their constituent parts of signs. The term can also refer specifically to the sound or sign system of a ...

in which similar

phones A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into ele ...

in complementary distribution are usually

allophone In phonology, an allophone (; from the Greek , , 'other' and , , 'voice, sound') is a set of multiple possible spoken soundsor ''phones''or signs used to pronounce a single phoneme in a particular language. For example, in English, (as in '' ...

s of the same phoneme. For instance, in English, and are allophones of the

phoneme In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language. For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-wes ...

because they occur in complementary distribution. always occurs when it is the

syllable onset A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological ...

and followed by a stressed

vowel A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (len ...

(as in the word ''pin''). occurs in all other situations (as in the word ''spin'', or in ''sipping'''). There are cases of elements being in complementary distribution but not being considered allophones. For example, English and are in complementary distribution: occurs only at the beginning of a syllable and only at the end. However, because they have so little in common in phonetic terms, they are still considered separate phonemes.''An Introduction to Language'' by Victoria Fromkin

In morphology

The concept of complementary distribution is applied in the analysis of word forms ( morphology). Two different word forms (

allomorph In linguistics, an allomorph is a variant phonetic form of a morpheme, or, a unit of meaning that varies in sound and spelling without changing the meaning. The term ''allomorph'' describes the realization of phonological variations for a specif ...

s) can actually be different "faces" of one and the same word (

morpheme A morpheme is the smallest meaningful Constituent (linguistics), constituent of a linguistic expression. The field of linguistics, linguistic study dedicated to morphemes is called morphology (linguistics), morphology. In English, morphemes are ...

). An example is the English indefinite articles ''a'' and ''an''. The usages ''an aardvark'' and ''a bear'' are grammatical, but the usages ''**a aardvark'' and ''**an bear'' are ungrammatical (as is marked with "**" in linguistics). :The form ''an'' is used before a word that begins with a vowel sound. :That can be notated as "__ V". :The form ''a'' is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound. :That can be notated as "__ C". :The "distribution" (usage according to environments) of the forms ''an'' and ''a'' is "complementary" because of three factors: :(1) ''an'' is used if ''a'' is not used; :(2) ''a'' is used if ''an'' is not used; :(3) both environments together cover every legitimate potential environment for the word. The forms ''an'' and ''a'' work together like a team and take care of every instance (environment) in which the English indefinite article is used, i.e. there are two different "forms" of the same "word" instead of two different words.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Complementary Distribution Phonology ru:Дистрибуция#Типы дистрибуции

In phonology

In morphology

See also

References