LIN229H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Advanced And Retracted Tongue Root, Asteroid Family, Close Vowel
Document Summary
Feature theory: make specific predictions about what kinds of segments and rules are found in human languages. Segments (consonants and vowels) differ between languages: differences are consistent, physically measurable, reproducible by speakers. Do not introduce large numbers of symbols to differentiate small differences: phonological symbols represent essential contrast between sounds, precise phonetic properties (variants) represented differently. Syllabic (syl): forms a syllabic peak and thus can be stressed: captures distinctions between consonants and vowels, vowels are [+syllabic] Sonorant (son): sounds produced with a vocal tract configuration in which spontaneous voicing is possible: captures distinction between vowels/liquids and stops/fricatives, vowels, glides, nasals, liquids are [+sonorant] Consonantal (cons): sounds produced with a major obstruction in the oral cavity. High: the body of the tongue is raised from the neutral position. Low: the body of the tongue is lowered from the neutral position. Back: the body of the tongue is retracted from the neutral position.
