<img class="r-stretch" src="phonology/featurepresentation.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- # Features! ### Will Styler - LIGN 111 --- ### Today's Plan - Phonological Features --- ### Lists of segments aren't great - They're inefficient - They obscure relations among segments - We can do better --- ### Natural Classes are better! - They represent common groupings of sounds - They're more efficient than lists - They get at the idea that some rules apply to groups because of some shared characteristic --- ### ... but why are natural classes natural? - What unites /w ɹ j/ as approximants? - Why are /m n ɲ ŋ/ grouped? - What's the meaningful link between [pʰ tʰ kʰ]? - Why do we treat them as different from [p t k] in English? - ... or from [b d g]? --- ### These differences in groups matter to speakers - Languages place these groups in opposition - In English, [pʰ tʰ kʰ] are different from [p t k] - ... but [p t k] and [b d g] aren't in opposition - In Spanish, [p t k] are different from [b d g] - ... but [pʰ tʰ kʰ] and [p t k] aren't in opposition --- ### But is this actually about groups of sounds? - In Spanish, [p t k] AND [pʰ tʰ kʰ] are different from [b d g] - **This sure seems to be about voicing** - In English, [pʰ tʰ kʰ] are different from [p t k] AND [b d g] - **Could we say that this contrast is about aspiration (greater glottal airflow)?** --- ### English vowels are nasalized before /m n ŋ/ - So, it's before nasal sounds? - ... but also before [ɾ̃] as in "winter" - **This is about nasality!** --- ### It's often easier to talk not about the classes of sounds, but the more abstract features that make the classes distinct - Which is why we're going to use... --- ## Phonological Features --- ## Phonological Features Abstract representations of the properties of sounds which make them phonologically distinct in languages --- ### Features have three main principles - They capture linguistic contrasts - They are what natural classes are made of - They're phonetically grounded --- ### Features capture contrasts - In Spanish, stops contrast on the basis of [+/- voice] - In English, vowel nasality is triggered only by [+nasal] sounds - Feature theories are designed to capture the contrasts present in languages --- ### Features are the underpinnings of natural classes - Sounds in a natural class share features - This is the nature of a natural class --- ### Features are phonetically meaningful - Phonetic realization remains a crucial part of sounds' phonological nature --- ## Features in Practice --- ### Features can be unary or binary - Unary features have one state (e.g. [+coronal]) - Binary features have two states (e.g. [+voice] or [-voice]) --- ### Features overlap across segments and segment types - Each feature describes many segments - ... but every segment can be specified using one specific combination --- ### Sounds can be specified as a series of features <img class="r-stretch" src="phonology/map_features.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ### We can 'toggle' or change individual features as a part of rules - [-sonorant] -> [-voice] / __# - [-cont] -> [+nasal] / V__V --- ### Features can also trigger rules - [+syllabic] -> [+nasal] / __[+nasal] - [-cont, +coronal] -> ∅ / __[+lateral] --- ## One important note! --- ### Feature Sets are theory! - You can split sounds up in many different ways - Each approach will have some benefits, and some downsides --- ### A certain feature theory will describe the entire set of sounds in play - Every sound is specified in terms of distinctive features - ... but some sets will use different features to do it --- ### There are many proposed feature theories - We're going to use a relatively vanilla set of features - Designed to work effectively in a variety of problems across languages - ... but there are other approaches - **Please use the feature specifications we've given you for this class!** --- ### Will was trained in a different theory! - ... but he wants you to learn the local standard - If you see him pausing or checking the chart, that's what's up! --- ## Now, let's talk about the feature set we're using! --- ### Wrapping up - Features allow us to access some of the contrasts made in language directly. - We can use features to write our rules more elegantly - From here out, you'll want to use features to write your rules - Language seems to use features, so we will too! --- ### Next time - We'll get some practice applying features to sounds and rules --- <huge>Thank you!</huge> ---