The System of Phonological Opposition in English.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 1576.

The second problem of phonological analysis is the identification of the inventory of distinctive features on which all the phonological oppositions in the language are based. Every sound is characterized by a number of features, not all of which are equally important for communication. If one compare some of the allophones of /p/, it appears that all of them have common features and features which characterize only a few of them. The problem is to decide which of the features of a group of common sounds in a certain language are phonologically relevant and which of them are irrelevant, or incidental. This is important for teaching purposes. Each phoneme is characterized by a certain number of phonologically relevant features, which are its constant distinctive features (as they distinguish the phoneme from all the other phonemes of the language). Each allophone of a certain phoneme is characterized by definite phonologically relevant features (which are common to all its allophone) plus a number of irrelevant or incidental, features (which distinguish the allophone from all the other allophones of the phoneme). eg: The phonologically relevant features that characterize the phoneme /p/ are therefore, bilabial, occlusive and fortis. Aspiration, plosiveness, labialisation are phonologically irrelevant features. The point is that if the speaker substitute one phonologically relevant feature for any other relevant feature the phoneme becomes a different phoneme (in this case /p/ is replaced by /t/). Such a substitution is easily perceived by any native speaker whether he had been trained in phonetics or not ("pie" - "tic", "cap" - "cat"). The substitution of one irrelevant feature for another (say, aspirated for non — aspirated) results in a different allophone of one and the same phoneme ([p] aspirated and |p| non-aspirated). Such a substitution does not affect communication. In the system of English vowels there are 3 types of oppositions: oppositions of monophthongs between themselves; diphthongs between themselves; monophthongs vs. diphthongs. In the system of English consonant phonemes there are oppositions based on: the force of articulation; the active organ of speech. According to the number of distinctive features contrasted in the minimal pairs oppositions can be single, double, and triple.