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Phonemes and Distinctive Oppositions

The document discusses phonemes and phonological oppositions. It defines a phoneme as the minimal abstract linguistic unit that is realized through speech sounds and serves to distinguish meaning. Phonemes form three-way oppositions: single (one feature differs), double (two features differ), and triple/multiple (three features differ). Examples include 'pen' vs. 'Ben' as a single opposition, and 'pen' vs. 'den' as a double opposition. The document also discusses different types of speech sounds and how phonemes are established based on their ability to oppose each other in different positions within words.

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252 views3 pages

Phonemes and Distinctive Oppositions

The document discusses phonemes and phonological oppositions. It defines a phoneme as the minimal abstract linguistic unit that is realized through speech sounds and serves to distinguish meaning. Phonemes form three-way oppositions: single (one feature differs), double (two features differ), and triple/multiple (three features differ). Examples include 'pen' vs. 'Ben' as a single opposition, and 'pen' vs. 'den' as a double opposition. The document also discusses different types of speech sounds and how phonemes are established based on their ability to oppose each other in different positions within words.

Uploaded by

Alex Luoz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

the defenition of the phoneme from the viewpoint of distinctive oppositions.

Types of
phonological oppositions

When we talk about the sounds of language, the term "sound" can be interpreted in
two different ways. First, we can say that [t] and [d], for example, are two different
sounds in English: e.g. ten-den, seat-seed. But on the other hand, we know that [t]
in let us and [t] in let them are not the same. In both examples the sounds differ in
one articulatory feature only. In the second case the difference between the sounds
has functionally no significance. It is clear that the sense of "sound" in these two
cases is different. To avoid this ambiguity, linguists use two separate terms:
phoneme and allophone.

The phoneme is a minimal abstract linguistic unit realized in speech in the form of
speech sounds opposable to other phonemes of the same language to distinguish
the meaning of morphemes and words

Firstly, the phoneme is a functional unit. In phonetics function is usually


understood as a role of the various units of the phonetic system in distinguishing
one morpheme from another, one word from another or one utterance from
another. The opposition of phonemes in the same phonetic environment
differentiates the meaning of morphemes and words: e.g. bath-path, light-
like. Sometimes the opposition of phonemes serves to distinguish the meaning of
the whole phrases: He was heard badly - He was hurt badly. Thus we may say that
the phoneme can fulfill the distinctive function.
Secondly, the phoneme is material, real and objective. That means it is realized in
speech in the form of speech sounds, its allophones. The phonemes constitute the
material form of morphemes, so this function may be called constitutive function.

Thirdly, the phoneme performs the recognitive function, because the use of the
right allophones and other phonetic units facilitates normal recognition. We may
add that the phoneme is a material and objective unit as well as an abstract and
generalized one at the same time.

Types of phonological opposition

1. Single – if the members of the opposition differ in one articulatory feature.

pen – Ben (occlusive; labial; [p] fortis, [b] lenis)


2. Double – if there are two distinctive features, which are different.

pen – den (occlusive, [p] labial, [d] alveolar; [p] fortis, [d] lenis)

3. Triple/Multiple – there are three distinctive features.

pen – then ([p] occlusive, [ð] constrictive; [p] labial, [ð] interdental; [p] fortis, [ð]
lenis)

взрывные – stop – occlusive - plosive


носовые – nasal
щелевой согласный – Fricative - constrictive
смычно-щелевые звуки – Affricate
губно-губные – bilabial
губно-зубными – labio dental
межзубный согласный – inter dental
альвеолярные – alveolar
Глухие – fortis
Звонкие – Lenis

ð – звонкий!

To establish the system of phonemes of a language it is necessary to oppose sounds


in all possible position (initial, medial, final). But there are cases when the sounds
can’t be used in the same position and can’t be opposed, e.g.:

[h] is never used in final position.

[ŋ] is never used in initial position.

These sounds are treated as different phonemes on the basis of native speaker’s
knowledge and their phonetic dissimilarity.

There is another interesting case which is analyzed and explained by different


schools of classical phonology. In some cases different sounds occur in the same
position and in the same phonetic context, but the meaning of the word remains
unchanged (калоши – галоши, letter [lɛtə] – letter [lɛdə]). They are called free
variants. The existing of free variance is explained by stylistic, regional and
individual variations.

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