LIN229H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Sibilant, Continuant, Vocal Folds
Document Summary
Sound patterns in human languages are not random. Similar sounds tend to interact: similar sounds: sounds that are in natural classes. Similar sounds form natural classes: natural classes are descriptive. All segments within a natural class share a feature. Each sound is made of a list of features. [+feature] (active) or [ feature] (not active, absence of feature is tangible) Most features are binary lowercase letters: privative: [feature] Mostly articulatory (using parts of tongue, mouth) [ syllabic] the segment forms a syllable nucleus vowels are always syllable nuclei and will have [+syllabic] feature: glides are [-syllabic] but vowels are [+syllabic] All languages allow vowel nuclei, some also allow consonant nuclei. [-syllabic]: consonants (most of the time) but never vowels. Segments that are produced with a vocal tract configuration in which spontaneous voicing is possible i. e. , those segments that are easier to produce when they are voiced. Produced by a major obstruction in the oral cavity.
