In
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 ...
, a distinctive feature is the most basic unit of
phonological structure that distinguishes one sound from another within a language. For example, the feature
oicedistinguishes the two bilabial plosives:
and
There are many different ways of defining and arranging features into ''feature systems'': some deal with only one language while others are developed to apply to all languages.
Distinctive features are grouped into categories according to the
natural classes of
segments they describe: major class features, laryngeal features, manner features, and place features. These feature categories in turn are further specified on the basis of the
phonetic
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...
properties of the segments in question. For phonemes to be in a particular natural class, they have to share the same distinctive features such as articulation and/or sound similar to each other. We can find distinctive features between two words by finding the minimal pair between them. The minimal pair are when two words sound the same, but they are different in definition because the pair has different phonemes from each other.
Since the inception of the phonological analysis of distinctive features in the 1950s, features traditionally have been specified by binary values to signify whether a segment is described by the feature; a positive value,
denotes the presence of a feature, while a negative value,
minus; indicates its absence. In addition, a phoneme may be
unmarked with respect to a feature. It is also possible for certain
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 ...
s to have different features across languages. For example, could be classified as a continuant or not in a given language depending on how it patterns with other consonants. After the first distinctive feature theory was created by Jakobson in 1941, it was assumed that the distinctive features are binary and this theory about distinctive features being binary was formally adopted in “Sound Pattern of English” by Chomsky and Halle in 1968. Jakobson saw the binary approach as the best way to make the phoneme inventory shorter and the phonological oppositions are naturally binary.
In recent developments to the theory of distinctive features, phonologists have proposed the existence of single-valued features. These features, called univalent or privative features, can only describe the classes of segments that are said to possess those features, and not the classes that are without them.
List
This section lists and describes distinctive features in linguistics.
Major class
Major class features: The features that represent the major classes of sounds.
#
/− syllabicref name=":0"> Syllabic segments may function as the
nucleus
Nucleus ( : nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to:
* Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom
*Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA
Nucl ...
of a
syllable
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 ...
, while their counterparts, the
minus;syllsegments, may not. Except in the case of
syllabic consonant
A syllabic consonant or vocalic consonant is a consonant that forms a syllable on its own, like the ''m'', ''n'' and ''l'' in some pronunciations of the English words ''rhythm'', ''button'' and ''bottle''. To represent it, the understroke diacrit ...
s,
syllabicdesignates all
vowels, while
minus;syllabicdesignates all
consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are and pronounced with the lips; and pronounced with the front of the tongue; and pronounced w ...
s (including
glides).
#
/− consonantalref name=":1"> Consonantal segments are produced with an audible constriction in the
vocal tract
The vocal tract is the cavity in human bodies and in animals where the sound produced at the sound source ( larynx in mammals; syrinx in birds) is filtered.
In birds it consists of the trachea, the syrinx, the oral cavity, the upper part of th ...
, such as
obstruent
An obstruent () is a speech sound such as , , or that is formed by ''obstructing'' airflow. Obstruents contrast with sonorants, which have no such obstruction and so resonate. All obstruents are consonants, but sonorants include vowels as well as ...
s,
nasal
Nasal is an adjective referring to the nose, part of human or animal anatomy. It may also be shorthand for the following uses in combination:
* With reference to the human nose:
** Nasal administration, a method of pharmaceutical drug delivery
* ...
s,
liquids, and
trills. Vowels,
glides and laryngeal segments are not consonantal.
#
/− approximantApproximant segments include vowels,
glides, and
liquids while excluding
nasal
Nasal is an adjective referring to the nose, part of human or animal anatomy. It may also be shorthand for the following uses in combination:
* With reference to the human nose:
** Nasal administration, a method of pharmaceutical drug delivery
* ...
s and
obstruent
An obstruent () is a speech sound such as , , or that is formed by ''obstructing'' airflow. Obstruents contrast with sonorants, which have no such obstruction and so resonate. All obstruents are consonants, but sonorants include vowels as well as ...
s.
#
/− sonorantref name=":1" /> This feature describes the type of oral constriction that can occur in the vocal tract.
son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some curren ...
designates the
vowels and
sonorant
In phonetics and phonology, a sonorant or resonant is a speech sound that is produced with continuous, non-turbulent airflow in the vocal tract; these are the manners of articulation that are most often voiced in the world's languages. Vowels ar ...
consonants (namely
glides,
liquids, and
nasal
Nasal is an adjective referring to the nose, part of human or animal anatomy. It may also be shorthand for the following uses in combination:
* With reference to the human nose:
** Nasal administration, a method of pharmaceutical drug delivery
* ...
s) that are produced without an imbalance of air pressure in the vocal tract that might cause turbulence.
minus;sondescribes the
obstruent
An obstruent () is a speech sound such as , , or that is formed by ''obstructing'' airflow. Obstruents contrast with sonorants, which have no such obstruction and so resonate. All obstruents are consonants, but sonorants include vowels as well as ...
s, articulated with a noticeable turbulence caused by an imbalance of air pressure in the vocal tract.
Laryngeal
Laryngeal features: The features that specify the glottal states of sounds.
#
/− voiceref name=":0" /> This feature indicates whether vibration of the
vocal folds
In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speec ...
occurs with the articulation of the segment.
#
/− spread glottisref name=":0" /> Used to indicate the
aspiration of a segment, this feature denotes the openness of the glottis. For
sg the vocal folds are spread apart widely enough for frication to occur; for
minus;sg there is not the same friction-inducing spreading.
#
/− constricted glottisref name=":0" /> The constricted glottis features denotes the degree of closure of the glottis.
cgimplies that the vocal folds are held closely together, enough so that air cannot pass through momentarily, while
minus;cgimplies the opposite.
Manner
Manner features: The features that specify the
manner of articulation
In articulatory phonetics, the manner of articulation is the configuration and interaction of the articulators ( speech organs such as the tongue, lips, and palate) when making a speech sound. One parameter of manner is ''stricture,'' that is ...
.
#
/−_continuant.html" ;"title="continuant.html" ;"title="/− continuant">/− continuant">continuant.html" ;"title="/− continuant">/− continuantref name=":1" /> This feature describes the passage of air through the vocal tract. [+cont] segments are produced without any significant obstruction in the tract, allowing air to pass through in a continuous stream. [−cont] segments, on the other hand, have such an obstruction, and so occlude the air flow at some point of articulation.
#
nasal
Nasal is an adjective referring to the nose, part of human or animal anatomy. It may also be shorthand for the following uses in combination:
* With reference to the human nose:
** Nasal administration, a method of pharmaceutical drug delivery
* ...
]
This feature describes the position of the Soft palate, velum. [+nas] segments are produced by lowering the velum so that air can pass through the nasal cavity, nasal tract. [−nas] segments conversely are produced with a raised velum, blocking the passage of air to the nasal tract and shunting it to the oral tract.
#
/− stridentref name=":0" /> The strident feature applies to obstruents only and refers to a type of friction that is noisier than usual. This is caused by high energy
white noise
In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used, with this or similar meanings, in many scientific and technical disciplines ...
.
#
lateral.html" ;"title="lateral_consonant.html" ;"title="/− lateral consonant">lateral">lateral_consonant.html" ;"title="/− lateral consonant">lateralref name=":0" /> This feature designates the shape and positioning of the tongue with respect to the oral tract. [+lat] segments are produced as the center of the tongue rises to contact the roof of the mouth, thereby blocking air from flowing centrally through the oral tract and instead forcing more lateral flow along the lowered side(s) of the tongue.
#
/− delayed releaseref name=":0" /> This feature distinguishes
stops from
affricates
An affricate is a consonant that begins as a stop and releases as a fricative, generally with the same place of articulation (most often coronal). It is often difficult to decide if a stop and fricative form a single phoneme or a consonant pa ...
. Affricates are designated
del rel
Del, or nabla, is an Operator (mathematics), operator used in mathematics (particularly in vector calculus) as a vector (geometry), vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol ∇. When applied to a function (mathema ...
Place
Place features: The features that specify the
place of articulation.
*
LABIAL
The term ''labial'' originates from '' Labium'' (Latin for "lip"), and is the adjective that describes anything of or related to lips, such as lip-like structures. Thus, it may refer to:
* the lips
** In linguistics, a labial consonant
** In zoolog ...
]
Labial segments are articulated with the lips. As consonants, these include bilabial consonant, bilabial and labiodental consonants.
#[+/− round]: [+round] are produced with lip rounding, while
minus;roundare not.
*
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A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Histor ...
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