PHONOLOGY
LI 2023
NATHALIE F. MARTIN
What do you know about Phonology?
 What is the
difference between
the words /rip/ and
/lip/?
 How do you
pronounce the
word “tsunami”?
 Are these words
 How would you
divide this word
into syllables?
/fənɒlədʒi/
acceptable in
English?
 Sbirdnar
 Birdnar
Introduction: Phonology
 No human language exploits all
phonetic possibilities
 Every language makes its own
particular selection from the range of
all possible speech sounds
English Phonemes
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Korean Phonemes
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Introduction
Phonological Representation
Phonology /fənɒlədʒi/ :
 The components of grammar that
determines the selection of speech sounds
and that governs both the sound patterns
and the systematic phonetic variation found
in language.
Introduction
Phonological Representation
 The task of phonologists:
 To
discover and describe the systematic
phonetic patterns found in individual languages
discover the general principles that
underlie the patterning of sounds across human
languages.
 To
Introduction
Phonological Representation
 Three major phonological units:
Features
Segments
Syllable
Introduction
Phonological Representation
Wd
Word level
σ
s
è
σ
g
m
F
[ ]
- syllabic
+ sonorant
…
n
Syllable
level
t
Segment
level
Feature
level
Introduction
Phonological Representation
 Segment:
 Individual
speech sounds
 Feature:
Features correspond to articulatory or acoustic
categories such as [voice] or [strident]
 Smallest building block of phonological structure

 Syllable:

A syllabic element – usually a vowel- and any preceding
or following segments that are associated with it
Segments in Contrast
Contrast
 All speakers knows which segments
contrast and which ones don’t …
 Segments are said to contrast when:
 Their
presence alone may distinguish
forms with different meaning from each
other
Ex: sip [sɪp] and zip [zɪp]
Ex: hit [hɪt], hat [hæt] & hot [hɒt]
Segments in Contrast
Minimal Pairs
 The first step in the analysis of the
phonology of language is to establish which
sounds in that language are in contrast
with each other
 In order to establish contrast, it is necessary
to examine the distribution of sounds in
words and to compare word meanings.
 This
can be accomplished through the
minimal pair test
Segments in Contrast
Minimal Pairs
 Minimal pair: Consists of two forms with
distinct meaning that differ by only one
segment found in the same position in each
form.
 Example:
[sɪp] and zip [zɪp]
 Therefore the segments [s] and [z] contrast
 sip
Segments in Contrast
Minimal Pairs – English Consonant
 Example:
Segments in Contrast
Minimal Pairs – Definitions
 Environment:
phonetic context in which a sound
occurs.
 The
 Near minimal pairs:
 Pairs
of words that have segments in
nearly identical environments (ex: assure
& azure)
Segments in Contrast
Minimal Pairs – Definitions
 Phoneme:
that contrast with each other
in a particular language are said to
belong to separate phonemes of that
language
 Segments
• Contrastive phonological units
Not to be confused with Phones
Segments in Contrast
Vowel Contrast in English
Segments in Contrast
Vowel Contrast in English
Segments in Contrast
Language-Specific Contrasts
 Important:
-
Two sounds can be phonetically distinct
without necessarily being phonologically
distinct or contrastive.
 - Sounds that are contrastive in one
language may not necessarily be
contrastive in another.
Segments in Contrast
Language-Specific Contrasts
o Example:
In
English [ɛ] & [æ] are contrastive
(ex: Ben & ban)
In
Turkish (ex: the word “I” can
be said [bɛn] & [bæn])
Segments in Contrast
Practice & Homework
 Find minimal pairs to show contrast
between all English consonants
(15 phonemes)
Exceptions
which are hard to find:
[ŋ]
[h]
[ʔ]
[ʒ]
Complementary
distribution
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Introduction
 Phonetic variation is systematic
 Occurs
most often in phonetically similar
segments
by the phonetic context
or environment in which the segments are
found
 Conditioned
REVIEW
Common Articulatory Processes
 Assimilation - Voicing assimilation
Devoicing:
Example
[p]
of Please [pliz]
(voiceless) + [l] (voiced) = devoiced [l]
Voicing:
Example
Afbellen
of[af] (off or over) in Dutch
(to cancel): [f] (voiceless) + [b]
(voiced) = [vb] (both voiced)
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Introduction - Variation
 Variation occurs because segments are
affected and altered by phonetic
characteristics of neighboring elements or
by the larger phonological context in which
they occur
 Speakers and listeners of any language tend
to factor out this type of variation in order to
focus on contrast that affect
meaning
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Complementary Distribution
 In English, all Ls are not identical
 Different
sounds:
[l̥̥̥̥ ] (voiceless l)& [l] (voiced l)
 Yet they do not contrast
 There
are no minimal pairs in which the
phonetic difference [l̥̥̥̥ ] & [l] functions to
indicate difference.
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Complementary Distribution
 Blue
[blu]
 Gleam [glim]
 Slip
[slɪp]
 Flog
[flɒg]
 Leaf
[lif]
 Plow
 Clap
 Clear
 Play
[pl̥̥aʊ]
[kl̥̥æp]
[kl̥̥ɪər]
[pl̥̥eɪ]
[l]
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Complementary Distribution
 Examine the distribution of the two Ls
 All of the voiceless [l̥̥̥̥ ] occurs after the class of voiceless
stops
 Voiced [l] never occurs after voiceless stops
 Predictable property of phonology in English
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Complementary Distribution
 Therefore:
 Since
no voiced [l] ever occurs in the same phonetic
environment as a voiceless [l̥̥] (and vice versa), we
say that that the two variants of L are in
complementary distribution
Table 3.6
Complementary distribution of [l] and [l̥] in English
[l]
[l̥̥]
After voiceless stops
no
yes
Elsewhere
yes
no
Phonemes and
allophones
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Phonemes and allophones
 Allophones:
 When
segments are phonetically distinct,
but not phonologically the same they are
considered allophones (predictable
variants) of one phoneme (contrastive
phonological unit).
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Phonemes and allophones
 Phonetic representation:
 Consists of predictable variants or allophones
Symbols for
 Phonemic (or phonological) representation:
allophones
phonemes are
are
placed
enclosed
between
in
 Consists of the phonemes to which the
allophones
belong.
square
slashes
bracket
// []
Phonemic representation (phoneme)
/l/
Phonetic representation (allophones)
[l̥̥̥̥ ]
[l]
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Phonemes and allophones
 Phonemes:
 Are
mental representations: the way in
which sounds are stored in the mind.
 Are in your head
 Allophones:
 Are
not part of what you remember when
you store a word in your mind
 Come out of your mouth
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Phonemes and allophones
An important part of phonological
analysis thus deals with discovering
inventories of the phonemes of
language and accounting for
allophonic variation.
English Phonemes
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Korean Phonemes
Chris Black - Applied Linguistics – Tutoring English as a Second Language (ESL)
Korean Allophones (in English)
Chris Black - Applied Linguistics – Tutoring English as a Second Language (ESL)
Allophone example
 English allophones for /p/
 [pʰ]
- pair [pʰɛr]
 [p] - spare [spɛr]
 [p̚] - tap [tæp̚]
 Korean phonemes /p/ and /pʰ/

팔 [pʰal] and 발 [pal] are different words
English speakers will speak ‘nonsense’ in
Korean
Chris Black - Applied Linguistics – Tutoring English as a Second Language (ESL)
Classes and
generalization
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Free Variation
 Free variation:
 Various
forms that do not change the meaning
since they are phonetically similar.
 They are therefore allophones of a phoneme
Ex: [stɒp!], [stɒp̚] & [stɒpʔ]
[p!], [p̚] & [pʔ] are different allophones of the
phoneme /p/
Notice that the narrow
Forceful
articulation
(Feature rep. only
used in the book)
Extended
closure
Coarticulation
with glottal
stop
transcription of these words
and the different allophones are
in square brackets and that the
phoneme is in between slashes.
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Classes & Systematic Variation
 Everyday speech usually varies
systematically according to phonetic
classes
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Classes & Systematic Variation
 Brew
[bru]
 Green [grin]
 Drip
[drɪp]
 Frog
[rɒg]
 Shrimp [ʃrɪmp]
 Prow
 Trip
 Creep
 Pray
[pr̥̥aʊ]
[r̥̥ɪp]
[kr̥̥ip]
[pr̥̥eɪ]
/r/
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Classes & Systematic Variation
In English, liquids have voiceless
allophones after voiceless stops
and voiced allophones elsewhere.
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Classes & Systematic Variation
 Beauty [bjuti]
 Putrid [pj̥̥utrɪd]
 Dwayne [dweɪn]
 Twin
 Gwen
[gwɛn]
 View [vju]
 Swim [swɪm]
 Thwack [θwæk]
[tw̥̥ɪn]
 Quick [kw̥̥ɪk]
 Cute
[kj̥̥ut]
/j//w/
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Classes & Systematic Variation
In English, liquids and glides have
voiceless allophones after
voiceless stops, and voiced
allophones elsewhere.
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Classes & Systematic Variation
 One of the major goals of phonological
description is the discovery of such broad
patters of variation, and the
formulation of the most general
statements possible to describe them.
Phonetically
Conditioned Variation
CANADIAN RAISING
ENGLISH MID VOWELS AND GLIDES
LANGUAGE-SPECIFIC PATTERNS
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Canadian Rising
 Eyes
[aɪz]
 Lies
[laɪz]
 Tried [tr̥̥aɪd]
 Tribe
[tr̥̥aɪb]
 House [haʊz]
 Loud
[laʊd]
 Cow
[kaʊ]
 Ice
[ʌɪs]
 Lice
[l ʌɪs]
 Trite
[tr̥̥ʌɪt]
 Tripe [tr̥̥ʌɪp]
 House [hʌʊs]
/aɪ//aʊ/
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Canadian Rising
 Canadian rising is another example of allophonic
variation in English
[aj] before the class of voiced
consonants
or in word final position
[ʌ j] before the class of
voiceless consonants
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Canadian Rising
• [aj] before the class of voiced consonants or in word final
position
• [ʌ j] before the class of voiceless consonants
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
English Mid Vowels and glides
 In most dialects of English, the mid tense vowels [e] & [o]
are always diphthongized
 [ej]
& [ow]
[e] and [o] are both mid
tense vowels
[e] and [j] are both back and
unrounded
[o] and [w] are both back
and unrounded
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
English Mid Vowels and glides
The mid tense vowels of
English are predictably followed
by a glide that has the same
backness and roundness as the
vowels
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Language-specific patterns
 Important:
 The
phenomenon of allophonic variation is
universal.
 BUT
…
The actual patterning of phonemes and
allophones is language-specific.
 Thus, whatever we discover for one language
may not hold true for another.
•
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Language-specific patterns
 Nasals in Scots Gaelic:
 Vowels are nasal in Scot Gaelic when preceded or
followed by a nasal consonant
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Language-specific patterns
 Nasals in Malay:
 In Malay, all vowels and glides following a nasal
and not separated from it by a non-nasal
consonant are nasalized (until an obstruent, liquid,
or glottal is reached)
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Language-specific patterns
 English and Khmer (Cambodian) stops:
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Language-specific patterns
 English and Khmer (Cambodian) stops:
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Canadian Rising
 Save
[sev]
 Abe
[eb]
 Made [med]
 Maze [mez]
 Age
[edʒ]
 Haig [eg]
 Safe
[sĕf]
 Ape
[ĕp]
 Mate [mĕt]
 Mace [mĕs]
H
[ĕtʃ]
 Ache [ĕk]
/e/
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Canadian Rising
 Tenth [tɛn̪θ]
 Know [oʊ]
 Month[mʌn̪θ]
 Annoy [ənɔɪ]
 Panther
 Onion [ʌnyən]
[pæn̪θər]
 Chrysanthemum
[krɪsæn̪θəməm]
 Nun
[nʌn]
/n/
Phonetic and Phonemic
Transcription
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Inventory of Vowels
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Inventory of Consonants
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Let’s Practice!
 Transcribe the following words
 Phonetically
Plow
Gate
Rice
& Phonemically
Paper
Phone
Flies
Crime
Rhyme
Stop
 Don’t forget the predictable properties
mentioned on the previous slides!
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Let’s Practice!
Plow
Paper
Crime
Gate
Phone
/ plaʊ /
/pepər /
/ kraɪm /
/ get /
/ foʊn /
[pl̥̥̥̥aʊ]
[peɪpər ]
[kr̥̥aɪm ]
[geɪt ]
[foʊn ]
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Let’s Practice!
Rhyme
Rice
Flies
Stop
/ raɪm /
/ raɪs /
/ flaɪz /
/ stɒp /
[raɪm ]
[rʌɪs ]
[flaɪz ]
[stɒp ]
Review
Contrast, phonemes and allophones
Each language has a set of contrastive
phonemes
Phonemes themselves can have predictable
variants or allophones
There are two distinct levels of
representation: phonemic level and phonetic
level
A Bit of Marking
REVIEW OF IN CLASS EXERCISES
AND HOMEWORK
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Canadian Rising
 Tenth [tɛn̪θ]
 Know [oʊ]
 Month[mʌn̪θ]
 Annoy [ənɔɪ]
 Panther
 Onion [ʌnyən]
[pæn̪θər]
 Chrysanthemum
[krɪsæn̪θəməm]
 Nun
[nʌn]
/n/
/n/ - Dental or Alveolar
In English, /n/ becomes
dental when it precedes
/θ/.
Phonetically Conditioned Variation
Canadian Rising
 Save
[sev]
 Abe
[eb]
 Made [med]
 Maze [mez]
 Age
[edʒ]
 Safe
Before v, b, d,
Before f, p, t,
z, dʒ
 Ape
 Mate
 Mace
 Ache
s, k
[sĕf]
[ĕp]
[mĕt]
[mĕs]
[ĕk]
/e/
/e/ - Short or Regular Length?
In English, /e/ is short
when followed by a
voiceless consonant.
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Paper
Gate
/pepər /
/ get /
[pĕpər ]
[gĕt ]
Exercise 1 (Rowe & Levine)
Skill [skɪl]
Kill
Ask
Cass
[æsk]
Ski
[ski]
School [skul]
Skull [skʌl]
Ink [ɪŋk]
King
Cool
Key
Cull
/k/
[khɪl]
[khæs]
h
[k ɪŋ]
h
[k ul]
[khi]
[khəl]
Exercise 1 (Rowe & Levine)
Skill [skɪl]
Ask
[æsk]
Ski
[ski]
School [skul]
After s, ŋ
Kill
[khɪl]
Cass [khæs]
h
King [k ɪŋ]
h
Cool [k ul]
 Beginning of
word
Two Allophones of the Phoneme /k/
/k/
[k]
h
[k ]
Aspiration Velar Stops = /k/
The oral velar stop (/k/) is
aspirated when it is
word initial, and
unaspirated elsewhere *
Exercise 2 (Rowe & Levine)
Lit
[lɪt]
Lame [leɪm]
Let
[lɛt]
Lick [lɪk]
Lay [leɪ]
Leak [lik]
Low
[ɫoʊ]
Law [ɫɔ]
Loot [ɫut]
Lull [ɫʌɫ]
All
[ɔɫ]
Feel [fiɫ]
Exercise 2 (Rowe & Levine)
Lit
[lɪt]
Lame [leɪm]
Let
[lɛt]
Lick [lɪk]
Word-initial
before a front
vowel
Low
[ɫoʊ]
Loot [ɫut]
Lull [ɫʌɫ]
Word-initial
before a central
or back vowel
Or word final
Two Allophones of the Phoneme /l/
/l/
[l]
[ɫ]
Dark L
In English, [l] occurs in the
initial position before a front
vowel.
In English, [ɫ] occurs in the
initial position before a
central of back vowel
or in the word final position
Exercise 3 (Rowe & Levine)
Tape
h
[t ap]
h
Pam[p æm]
Cod
h
[k o:d]
/tap/
/pæm/
/kod/
Syllable
DEFINING THE SYLLABLE
ONSET CONSTRAINTS AND PHONOTACTICS
ACCIDENTAL AND SYSTEMATIC GAPS
Syllables
Introduction
 Definition:
syllable consists of a sonorous
element and its associated non-syllabic
(less sonorous) segments.
A
 What
speech sounds are more sonorous?
Syllables
Introduction
 Vowels are the most sonorous sound
 Therefore, syllables usually have a vowel
nucleus as their core
 Less sonorous sounds may appear on
either sides of the nuclei
Syllables
Introduction
 Native speakers of a language
demonstrate their awareness of the
sonority values of segments and of the
syllable
 Examples:
 Telegraph
 Accident
 Sprint
Onset Constraints
and Phonotactics
Syllables
Onset
 Syllable: σ
 Onset (O): Within a syllable, the longest
segment of consonant to the left of each nucleus
Syllables
Rhyme: Nucleus & Coda
 Rhyme (R): The nucleus and the coda of a
syllable (e.g., [ɪnt] in Sprint)
Syllables
Nucleus & Coda
 Nucleus (N): a vocalic element that forms the
core of a syllable (e.g., [ɪ])
 Coda (Co): The elements that follow the
nucleus in the same syllable (e.g., [nt])
Syllables
Constraints
 Syllables comply with certain
constraints that prohibit them from
beginning with a sequence like [kstr]
Thus results in the actual
syllabification / ək.strim /
(“extreme”)
Syllables
English Syllables
 Applaud
 Decline
 Improvise
Syllables
Universal Tendencies
 All languages have syllables
 The shapes or syllables are governed by
various kinds of constraints
 But certain universal tendencies are
observable
Syllables
Universal Tendencies
1. Syllable nuclei usually
one vowel;
consists of
2. Syllables usually begin with onsets;
3. Syllables often end with codas;
4. Onsets and codas usually consist of
one consonant.
 Syllables usually take the shape CV or CVC
Syllables
Onset Constraints & Phonotactics
 Isn’t it interesting!
 Words from other languages sound
unusual to speakers of another language
 Result: they often adjust the segment
sequences
 to conform with their language phonology.
Example: Russian word “vprog” /fprɔk/
(value, or good)
[fəprɔk] – adding /ə/
[prɔk] – deleting /f/
Sable Island
French: /sabl/
English: / seɪ.bəl/
How did we get from one to
the other?
Syllables
Onset Constraints & Phonotactics
 Phonotactics:
 The
set of constraints on how sequences of
segments pattern.
 Forms part of a speakers knowledge of the
phonology of his or her language.
Syllables
Onset Constraints & Phonotactics
Phonotactics – Let’s Analyse
 Would these words be acceptable
in English? How would we divide
them?
Tsunami /tsʊnɑmi/
Birdnar / bɜrdnɑr /
Sbirdnar / sbɜrdnɑr /
Spirdnar / sbɜrdnɑr /
Accidental and
Systematic gaps
Syllables
Accidental and Systematic Gaps
 Gaps in the language’s vocabulary that
correspond to non-occurring but
possible forms called accidental
gaps
 Sometimes
filled by borrowed words that
fill the phonotactic constraints
Ex:
Kodak, taco, Zen, perestroika
Syllables
Accidental and Systematic Gaps
 Systematic gaps:
 Gaps
in the syllable structure of a language
that result not by accident but from
exclusion of certain sequences.
 Examples
in English:
/bz/, /pt/ & /fp/
Unacceptable in one language but not
necessarily another
Syllables
Accidental and Systematic Gaps
 Accidental gaps:
filled by borrowed words that
fill the phonotactic constraints
 Sometimes
Ex:
Kodak, taco, Zen, perestroika
 Systematic gaps:
 English
speakers often change the pronunciation
of borrowed words that do not fit the phonotactic
constraints
Ex:
Psychology & pterodactyl
Christmas in Hawaii !!!
[mɛri
Labial
Stop
k rɪsməs ]
[melekalikimaka] ?
Coronal Dorsal Laryngeal
p
k
Fricative
Nasal
Glide
Liquid
m
w
n
l
ʔ
h
Vowels
i
e
a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecnehcLIVeI
Christmas in Hawaii !!!
[mɛ.ri ]
[me.le ]
[k rɪ s. mə s ]
[ka.li.ki.ma.ka]
Syllables
Language-specific phonotactics
 Language-specific constraints, on the
other hand, hold true for individual
languages such as English, but they
may not be found in other languages
Review
SETTING UP THE SYLLABLES
SYLLABIC PHONOLOGY
PRACTICE
Review
Syllable & Onset
 Syllable: σ
 Onset (O): Within a syllable, the longest segment
of consonant to the left of each nucleus that does
not violate the phonotactic constraints of the
language in question (e.g., [st] forms the onset of
the second syllable in hamster)
Review
Rhyme: Nucleus & Coda
Rhyme (R): The nucleus and the coda of a
syllable (e.g., [ust] in the word boost)
Nucleus (N): a vocalic element that forms
the core of a syllable (e.g., the vowel [A] is the
nucleus of the first syllable in Patrick)
Coda (Co): The elements that follow the
nucleus in the same syllable (e.g., [rf] in
surfboard)
Review
Practice
Sprint [sprɪnt]:
σ
Onset (O)
Rhyme (R)
Nucleus (N)
spr
ɪ
Coda (Co)
nt
Review
Practice
First [fɜrst]
σ
Onset (O)
Rhyme (R)
Nucleus (N)
f
ɜ
Coda (Co)
rst
Review
Practice
Words [wɜrdz]
σ
Onset (O)
Rhyme (R)
Nucleus (N)
w
ɜ
Coda (Co)
rdz
Syllables
Setting Up Syllables
 Each language defines its own syllable
structure through the interaction of
universal and language-specific
constraints
Syllables
Setting Up Syllables
 Step a: Nucleus-formation
Syllables
Setting Up Syllables
 Step b: Onset-formation
Syllables
Setting Up Syllables
 Step c: Coda-formation
Syllables
Setting Up Syllables
 Step d: Word-level construction
Syllables
Setting Up Syllables
Syllables
Setting Up Syllables
 Set up the syllable for these words:
 Frisk [frɪsk]
 Extra [ɛkstrə]
Syllables
Syllabic Phonology
 One reason that syllables are treated as
units of phonological structure is that
they are relevant to stating
generalizations about the distribution
of allophonic features
Syllables
Syllabic Phonology: Aspiration
Syllables
Syllabic Phonology: Aspiration
English voiceless stops are
aspirated syllable-initially
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Plow
Paper
Crime
/ plaʊ /
/pepər /
/ kraɪm /
h
[p l̥̥ aʊ]
̥̥
h
h
[p eɪ.p ər ]
[khr̥̥aɪm ]
Syllables
Syllabic Phonology: Vowel Length
Syllables
Syllabic Phonology: Vowel Length
English vowels are long when
followed by a voiced
obstruent in the coda
position of the same syllable
Note: Obstruent = fricative,
affricates and oral stops
Phonetic and Phonemic Transcription
Dad
Sleeve
Limbo
/ dæd /
/ sliv /
/ lɪmbo /
[dæ:d ]
[sli:v]
[lɪm.boʊ]
Features
Features
Definition
 Segments themselves are composed of
even smaller, subsegmental,
phonological units known as features
 Smallest
unit of phonology
 Basic building blocks of human speech
sounds
Features
Independent and Coordinate
Features
Features & Natural Classes
Features
Features & Natural Classes
Features
Features & Natural Classes
Features
Features & Natural Classes
 By systematically examining the phonemic
contrasts of a language, we can extract the
distinctive features and use these irreducible
linguistic elements to describe the phonemic
inventory
Features Representation
 Only a limited number of features –
currently around twenty-four – have been
proposed
 Fewer are needed to characterize the sounds
of English
Features Representation
Major class features
 [±consonantal]
 [±syllabic]
 [±sonorant]
Features Representation
Manner features
 [±continuant]
 [±delayed
release] ([±DR])
 [±nasal]
 [±lateral]
Feature: [±continuant]
 Includes vowels
= With free or nearly free airflow
Feature: [±delayed release] or [±DR]
= tongue is slower leaving the stop
portion [t] & [d]
Feature: [±nasal]
= tongue is slower leaving the stop
portion [t] & [d]
Feature: [±lateral]
= only ‘l’s
Features Representation
Laryngeal Feature
 [±voice]
 [±spread glottis]
([±SG])
 [±constricted
glottis] ([±CG])
Feature: voice
= voiced
 Includes vowels
Feature: [±spread glottis] or [±SG]
= aspirated consonants
Only ph, th & kh
Feature: [±constricted glottis] or [±CG]
 Only ʔ
= With closed glottis
Features Representation
Place of Articulation
[LABIAL]
[±round]
[CORONAL]
[±anterior]
[±strident]
 [DORSAL]
 [±high]
 [±low]
 [±back]
 [±tense]
 [±reduced]
Feature: LABIAL
= Using one or both lips (articulator)
Feature: CORONAL
= Using the tongue tip or blade
(articulator)
Feature: DORSAL
= Using the tongue body (articulator)
Features Representation
Features Representation
Have a nice day!
See you soon!