Phoneme theory, Prague Structuralism.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 460.

One of the founders of the Prague school N.S. Trubetzkoy: phonemes — sets of distinctive features. Phoneme as a cluster of DFs is discrete and invariant, but its realization may vary.

Systemizing phonological oppositions, based upon such features.

N.Trubetzkoy put forward three criteria for classifying phonological oppositions:

1. their relationship with the other oppositions of the same system;

2. the relationship between the members of the same opposition;

3. the extent of their distinctive force in different positions.

According to these criteria the following types of oppositions were distinguished:

a) bilateral and multilateral oppositions;

b) privative, gradual and equipollent oppositions;

c) constant and neutralizable oppositions.

Thus according to N.Trubetzkoy phonemes are "phonological units which from the point of view of a particular language are further indivisible into smaller consecutive segments".

Each phoneme is to be a member of some phonological opposition. It means that the phoneme is identical not with a particular sound but it is identified as a cluster of phonologically relevant features of a sound.

Trubetzkoy's most prominent monograph "Principles of Phonology" was published in 1939 (in the German language).

2. Jacobson:

The phoneme is a set of DF

They are opposed by one or more sound features. It may be expressed in articulatory or in acoustic terms.

Phonemes are discreet and invariant, but realization may vary.

Jacobson presented the idea of binarism as the most important relationship between linguistic units.

He has also invented the inventory of DFs (12): the generalized some articulatory and acoustic features. According to this classification, all phonemes may be:

— (non) consonantal

— (non) vocalic

— (non) nasal

So all the phonemes can be grouped: vowels (v, nc), consonants (nv, c), liquids l, r (v, c), glides j, w (nv, nc)

Advantages of the DF:

— universal (all possible oppositions in all alnguages)

— all features are binary in nature

— these features can be defined in acoustic terms