Positional Neutralization - Linguistics - University of California ...

neutralized. Indeed, we would speak of neutralization of the contrast only in such case as
the distributions of the two entities could be shown to be the same, such that no
significant differences emerge in statistical comparisons of the two. Assuming that
identical distributions imply identity of the relevant phonetic target windows, and
assuming that a single array of phonetic targets for all dimensions in a given context must
correspond to a single array of feature specifications for the segment in question, identity
of realizational distributions for two underlying segments implies the phonological
neutralization of the contrast between those two segments in the position in question 5 . If
it can be determined, thus, that /e/ and /i/ in the unstressed syllables of a given language
have identical phonetic distributions, the contrast between the two must be assumed to be
neutralized, implying an operation within the categorical phonology of some process
changing the underlying feature specifications of /i/, /e/, or both, as the pattern would
have it. The realization of /e/ and /i/ identically within a distribution characteristic of [i]
implies change of /e/ to /i/ in the phonological grammar 6 .
We could equally imagine, however, a situation in which a single phonological
entity, /a/ for example, had a window of realizations in stressed syllables varying
narrowly around [a], and a window of realizations in unstressed syllables varying equally
5 This means that two phonological entities with non-identical feature specifications in a given context must
not have identical distributions of their phonetic realizations.
6 See Myers (2000) for illuminating discussion of similar issues.
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