ENGL 315:DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

Professor I. O. DANIEL

What are they?

These were developed following Chomsky and Halle (1968).

They are phonological features that phonemes have that help us identify them in a distinct manner from other sounds that may be in their category.

These features are usually peculiar to the particular sounds in a manner that no other sound can share them.

This is why they are called distinctive.

Nature of DFs

In the course of producing a sound, some features help us narrow them down to particular phonemic forms in English.

These elements are usually phonological in nature.

The idea is that of identifying what contrasts one sound from the other.

This contrasting feature is peculiar to that sound

Others with the same phonetic features will not share that particular element or at least not in the same way.

Difference between DFs and Phonetic Descriptions

Phones are elements that are produced as sounds.

They have places of articulation and manners in which the airstream that produced them are released

These are essentially phonetic description of the sounds

Difference cont’d

DFs are different because they are phonological elements in operation.

They have to do with descriptions in terms of the phonological operations on the sound

They are specific details that describe the sounds in fully.

Examples

Let us exemplify

Example of /p/ and /b/

The sounds are both produced at the same points of articulation … (student to name)

They have the same manner of articulation … (student to provide)

However, they are different sounds. How do we determine that? (Minimal pairing)

/pil/ /bil/ /_il/ the two sounds can both fill the empty slot in the same position.

/pein/ /bein/ /_ein/ once again, the same empty slot can be filled with both sounds.

This shows they are not allophonic variants but different phonemes. (You will learn more about this in phonological processes)

So what is the ‘problem’? Why are they different if they share so much in common?

PHONATION

one sound is +voice and the other is -voice

It means that the two sounds are distinct in terms of voicing.

Identifying DFsThe sounds could be distinctly determined in terms of one feature.

The phonological features are described in terms of their being present or absent. The particular feature could be absent or present in a particular sound.

The are described in binary terms. It is either a plus or minus the feature. The signs [+, -] are used to indicate the presence or absence of the feature.

These features are actually PHONOLOGICAL in nature.

Some PracticeIdentify DFs in the following sounds: /s, z, m, n/

/s, z/ both oral sounds, so nasality absent = [-nasal]

/m, n/ both have nasality present = [+nasal]

/s, z, n/ all alveolar sounds = [-labial]

/m/ lips involved in its articulation = [+labial]

/s/ produced with glottis open = [-voice]

/z, m, n/ glottis narrowed and vibrating = [+voice]

In this way, different features are identified and help us to describe the sound in definite terms following its phonological behaviour.

Describe these sounds, identifying some features that make them distinct, using the binary indicator: /p, b, h, t, d, ŋ/

Classifying the Distinctive FeaturesThere are major features

There are also primary features

There are secondary features

These features are indicated within the framework of phonetic description.

Major Features

Sonorant: these have spontaneous voicing. E.g. vowels, approximants, nasals

Non-sonorant: also called obstruents. spontaneous voicing not possible. They have both voiced and non-voiced elements. Plosives, fricatives, affricates

Vocalic: In producing them, no obstruction at any point. Eg, vowels, semi-vowels /r, l/

Non-vocalic: there is obstruction in the production process. Eg, nasals consonants, non-sonorants,

Consonantal: There is obstruction at some points in the vocal tract, as narrow as in fricatives and approximants.

Non-consonantal: No obstruction is possible in their production. Eg, vowels

Cavity Features

Anterior: these sounds are produced with obstructions in front of the palato-alveolar region. Eg, labials, dentals, alveolars.

Non-anterior: The sounds are made before the alveolar region. Eg, palato-alveolar, velar, glottal,

Coronal: blade of the tongue is raised upwards from its neutral position. Eg, dentals, alveolar, palato-alveolar.

Non-coronal: the blade of the tongue is not raised above the neutral position. Eg, labials, palatal, velar, vowels.

Neutral position is the /e/ position.

Tongue Features

High: when the tongue is raised above the neutral position. Eg, palatals, velars, high (close) vowels

Non-high: when the tongue is not above the neutral position. Eg, labials, glottal, central and low (open) vowels

Low: the tongue is below the neutral position. Eg, low (open) vowel /a:/, glottal /h/,

Non-low: when the tongue is not lowered below the neutral position. Central and high vowels, labials, alveolars, palatals, velars

Back: Tongue is retracted backwards from the neutral position. Eg, velars, back vowels, etc.

Non-back: when there is no retraction of the tongue. Sounds in front of the velar. Eg, labials, dentals, alveolars, palatals, central and front vowels

Lip Posture

Round: when the lips get rounded and narrows the lip orifice. Eg, back vowels, velar approximant /w/ as well as labialised sounds.

Non-round: such rounding does not occur. Eg, all front, central and low (open) back vowels, coronals, palatals, alveolars, and non-labialised velars.

Secondary Aperture Features

Nasal: velum is lowered to allow airstream pass through the nose.

Non-nasal: velum is not lowered for its production. Oral articulation of sounds. All oral sounds are produced in this manner.

Manner FeaturesContinuant: there is no total blockage of air at the point of articulation. Eg, fricatives, approximants

Non-continuant: there is blockage of airflow at some point in the constriction of the articulatory organs. Eg, plosives and affricates

Delayed release: the air is gradually released after its obstruction. Eg, affricates /t∫, dʒ/

Non-delayed release: obstructed air is released instantaneously. Eg, plosives.

Phonation Features

Voiced: there is the vibration of the vocal cords in its production. Eg, all English vowels, voiced consonants in English

Non-voiced: there is free passage of air through the glottis. Eg, voiceless consonants, devoiced vowels and consonants

Note: remember that DFs are phonological features. So, such devoiced consonants and vowels can occur due to environmental conditioning.

You will learn about this in the phonological processes.

Distinctive Features of English SoundsLet us do some practice

p l i: m d k a:Sonorant - - + + - - +Consonantal + + - + + + -Vocalic - + + - - - +High - - + - + + -Low - - - - - - +Back - - - - + + +

Voiced - + + + + - +Nasal - - - + - + -

TABLE OF PHONOLOGICAL FEATURES OF ENGLISH

The full table could be accessed in: Introductory Phonetics and Phonology of English (2011) by Iyabode Omolara DANIEL.

Some Sample Tests

Draw and label the consonant chart of English.

Give the phonetic description of the following sounds of English: / , ∫, t, v, , ǝu, ʒ, ŋ, h, b/𝜽 𝜀Give the possible minimal pair of the following initial and final consonants as used in these words:

fix, dent, duel, lift, chalk (initial)

pit, game, take, Shane, stride (final)