Distinctive and non-distinctive features of En consonants

The system is based on the following articulatory features (7) The active organ of speech The place of obstruction The work of the vocal cords The strength

The position of the soft palate

The manner of the production of noise

The type of obstruction

Distinctive and non-distinctive features are found through the tests of contrastive and non-contrastive distribution

1) The active organ of speech

Consonants r labial, lingual (fore-lingual, apical, cacuminal, medio-lingual, back-lingual, glottal) Me and knee - we change 1 sound & the meaning is different=> the feature is distinctive

2) The place of obstruction

Consonants r bilabial, labio-dental, palato-alveolar, post-alveolar, palatal and velar. The opposition based on this feature can't make a contrastive distribution. In the flow of speech under the influence of the neighbouring sounds consonants may change the place of obstruction (cases of ass and adoption) which does not lead to the change of meaning.

3) The work of the vocal cords

Consonants r voiced and voiceless. If we use the test of non-contrastive distribution & observe En consonants in the initial, medial and final positions we'll see that En consonnats r fully voiced only in the intervoaclic position, (pleasure). They r fully or partly devoiced in the initial or final positions being examples of contextual ass.

4) The strength

Consonants r fortis & lenis. It was proved instrumentally. Even if the voiced consonant is devoiced and vv still voiced consonants remain lenis & voiceles - fortis. This is the feature whcih forms such constrastive pairs as ten vs den

5) The positon of the soft palate

Consonants r oral & nasal. This feature mb the basis 4 a contrastive pair & thus is considered 2 be a distinctive feature.

6) The type of obstruction & the manner of the production of noise In sum manuals r combined in2 1 cuz they r closely connected.

The type of obstruction can me complete & incomplete. When a complete obstrcuction is formed on the way of the sream of air, occlusive consonants (stops) r produced. When a incomplete obstruction is formed on the way of the stream of air constrictive consonants (spirants) are produced. Stops mb plosive, affricative and sonorants. Plosive consonants r those in the production of which the obstruction os broken by the way of plosion. In the production of affricative the obstruction is broken slowly. In the production od nasal sonorants the uvula goes down and the stream od air passes partially through the nasal cavity (the musical tone prevails). Constrictive consonants r fricatives and sonorants (lateral 1 & medium j).

The manner of the production of noise functions as a distinctive feature cuz it forms oppositions standing the test of contrastive distibution So the distinctive features of consonants are

The active organ

The strangth

The resonator's chamber/cavity (oral/nasal) The manner of the production of noise

Дата добавления: 2015-05-31