Distinctive Features - Speech Resource Pages - Macquarie University

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Phoneme high low front back round tense offglide onglide iː + - + - - + - + ɪ + - + - - - - - ɪə + - + - - + +/- - eː - - + - - + +/- - e - - + - - - - - æ - + + - - - - - ɐː - + - - - + - - ɐ - + - - - - - - ɔ - - - + + - - - oː - - - + + + - - ʊ + - - + + - - - ʉː + - - - + + - - ɜː - - - - - + - - æɪ - + + - - + + - ɑe - + - + - + + - ɔɪ - - - + + + + - əʉ - - - - + + + - æɔ - + + - + + + - ə 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - Note that schwa explicitly has no onglide or offglide. Its too short to have multiple targets or complex target onsets or offsets. In fact, its generally too short to even have a clear target. We can also see from this table that we are assuming that Australian English has 19 vowel phonemes. This is based on the following assumptions:- 1. /ə/ is really a phoneme and is not merely a reduced allophone of many vowel phonemes. 2. The occasionally attested examples (only 2 or 3 minimal pairs) of a distinction between /æ/ and /æː/ are not strong enough evidence to support two phonemes. These examples are controversial and there is no agreement on whether they are true minimal pairs or whether they also vary in some other way (grammatical, morphological). For example, the "bad" [bæːd] versus "bade" [bæd] example is weak because the latter word is absent from most people's vocabulary, and the durational distinction claimed to exist between them is less than the normal intrapersonal (same-person) variation in the length of this vowel. It is the most variable Australian English vowel in terms of its duration and can be produced relatively long or short. Further, it has been suggested that the distinction between "bad" and "bade" may merely be evidence of some underlying morphophonetic effect ("bade" being an inflected past tense form of "to bid"). 3. The old phoneme /ʊə/ is now extinct and can no longer be considered a phoneme in Australian English.
7. English Consonant <strong>Features</strong> (an overview) The following table brings together (especially in sections 4 and 5) all of the consonants of English into a single table. It is simplified somewhat. For example, dark (velarised or vocalised) /l/ is ignored in this analysis (being an allophonic variation it doesn't really require a phonological feature). The most common features of the most common allophones of each consonant as they exist in Australian English are used as the basis of this table. This table, whilst based on Australian English, is applicable to most dialects of English with only minor changes. syll cons son cont delrel sib voice nas high back ant lab cor distr lat p - + - - - - - - - - + + - + - b - + - - - - + - - - + + - + - t - + - - - - - - - - + - + - - d - + - - - - + - - - + - + - - k - + - - - - - - + + - - - - - g - + - - - - + - + + - - - - - tʃ - + - - + + - - + - - - + + - dʒ - + - - + + + - + - - - + + - f - + - + 0 - - - - - + + - - - v - + - + 0 - + - - - + + - - - θ - + - + 0 - - - - - + - + - - ð - + - + 0 - + - - - + - + - - s - + - + 0 + - - - - + - + - - z - + - + 0 + + - - - + - + - - ʃ - + - + 0 + - - + - - - + + - ʒ - + - + 0 + + - + - - - + + - h - + - + 0 - - - - - - - - - - m - + + - 0 - + + - - + + - + - n - + + - 0 - + + - - + - + - - ŋ - + + - 0 - + + + + - - - - - l - + + + 0 - + - - - - - + - + r - + + + 0 - + - - - - - + - - w - - + + 0 - + - + + - + - + - j - - + + 0 - + - + - - - + + - If you carefully examine this feature matrix you will note that no two consonants have the same pattern of features. It is clear that this feature set is sufficient to distinguish between all of the consonants of Australian English. If you were to consider the distinction between the two main allophones of /l/ (clear /l/ and dark /l/) it would be a simple matter of changing the [-back] to [+back] to indicate the velarising of the dark /l/. That is, its possible to also use distinctive feature to distinguish between allophones of a phoneme. Its not clear how valid it would be to do this as the distinctive features were developed as phonological rather than phonetic features and were in tended to distinguish between phonemes, but distinctive features can be used in rules that explain the selection of competing allophones.
Page 1 and 2: Topics Distinctive Features © Robe
Page 3 and 4: d) Gradual Oppositions The members
Page 5 and 6: We could refer to all these phoneme
Page 7 and 8: stops are already defined uniquely
Page 9 and 10: iv. Place of articulation The [ant]
Page 11 and 12: produced without such a gesture." [
Page 13 and 14: as lax. Instead we use the [tense]
Page 15 and 16: distinct tense vowel. All other cen
Page 17: Australian English diphthongs can b
Page 21 and 22: 9. Articulatory Features In more re
Page 23: 20. Jakobson, R., Fant, C.G.M. and

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