Harvard Linguistics 110 - Class 13 Features

Linguistics 110 Class 13 (11/4/02)

Zhang/Öztürk/Quinn

Phonological Representation—Features (1) Representation = formal device intended as a model of internalized knowledge • • •

There are mental representations for vision1, music2, etc. Representations are the common currency of cognitive science. They help to present the analysis in an explicit fashion so as to make precise and testable predictions. Intuition and insights are great, but only useful to science when presented explicitly.

In one phonological theory, representations are sequences of columns of features, each column forming a segment: mop:

=

-syllabic +sonorant +contin. +nasal +labial +voice

+syllabic +sonorant +contin. -nasal +low +back -round

-syllabic +sonorant -contin. -nasal +labial -voice , abbreviated /mA*p/

➥ What are the claims of this representation? • Segments exist. • Features exist. • Each segment is simply the sum of its properties. • Rules are well-defined formal operations on representations of this type. (2) What is the main justification for features in phonological theory? • •

Because phonological rules manipulate natural classes (see previous lectures, readings). The features are a way of stating our understanding of natural classes: How are sounds categorized into groups in languages?

1

See, for example, Vision, by David Marr. See A Generative Theory of Tonal Music, by Fred Lerdahl (a composer) and Ray Jackendoff (a linguist). 2

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(3) Manner features: A classification based on sonority (acoustic energy) vowels

glides

liquids

nasals

[+syllabic][ [ -consonantal ][ [ +sonorant [ +continuant

fricatives

-syllabic +consonantal ][

stops incl. affr.

] ] -sonorant ] ][-contin. ]

(4) French petit ami petit oiseau petit livre petit navet petit chef petit tableau

[p´tit ami] [p´tit wazo] [p´ti livr] [p´ti navE] [p´ti Sef] [p´ti tablo]

‘small friend’ ‘small bird’ ‘small book’ ‘small turnip’ ‘small chief’ ‘small picture’

(5) Indonesian N → ∅ / ___ {m, n, ≠, N, l, r, w} but not before {h, stops, affricates, fricatives, vowels} goreN m´N-goreN NeoN m´-NeoN

cf.

(6) Turkish /kitab/ /reng/ /tadZ/ /ev/ /dZeviz/

Nom. [kitap] [reNk] [tatS] [ev] [dZeviz]

Acc. [kitab-¨] [reNg-i] [tadZ-¨] [ev-i] [dZeviz-i]

Gloss ‘book’ ‘color’ ‘crown’ ‘house’ ‘walnut’

/at/ /fevk/ /go¥f/ /va¥s/

Nom. [at] [fevk] [go¥f] [va¥s]

Acc. [at-¨] [fevk-i] [go¥f-y] [va¥s-i]

(7) Classifying the stops, affricates, and fricatives fricatives [ [

affricates

+delayed release +continuant ][

stops ][ -delayed release ] -continuant ]

(8) Stop Deletion in Indonesian {p, t, k} → ∅ / [+nasal] ___

but not {b, d, dZ, g, tS, f}

2

Gloss ‘horse’ ‘drive’ ‘golf’ ‘waltz’

(9) Chumash osos at°s’is SuS t°S’umaS

‘heel’ ‘bear’ ‘fur’ ‘islanders’

k-iSkin ‘I save it’ k-iskin-us ‘I save it for him’ (10)

*osoS, *oSos * at°S’is, *at°s’iS *suS, *Sus *t°s’umaS, *t°S’umas k-at°skaw at°Skaw-iS

‘I sin’ ‘a sin’

Phonology conclusion

•

Phonemic analysis. (a) Why? Allophones happen for good reasons. Distinction between phonemic status and allophonic status can be established psycholinguistically. (b) How to do phonemic analysis?

•

Alternation. (a) What is alternation? Why does it happen? (b) How to solve an alternation problem?

•

Neutralization. (a) What is neutralization? (b) How to solve a neutralization problem?

•

Phonological representation—features. (a) Motivation for representations in general. (b) Motivation for phonological features.

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