Distinctive

Features

+ In this chapter, Distinctive

features, major class, laryngeal,
place, dorsal, and manner features
are discussed.
 Definition

+ Distinctive features theory proposes that each sound has

distinguishing properties to make it different from other
sounds. For example, voiceless [p is different from the
voiced [b through the distinctive feature voicing. The
development of the distinctive features theory is due
primarily to Roman Jakobson. DFs theory is governed

1. binary divisions are required [+/-

2. a minimum number of DFs are
allowed to avoid redundancy
3. these DFs are selected from a set
of universal DFs.
1. DFs are arranged in a matrix with
[+/- values.
2. features exit on their own as a result
of various articulatory movements
and shapes of various organs of
speech.
1. It can help us to classify a group of phonemes that share two or more
features into natural classes.

2. We can understand the nature of allophonic variation clearly such as

the devoicing of glides and liquids and the nasalization of vowels.

3. It can help us describe closely the changes that happen in the

phonological processes like assimilation, epenthesis and metathesis.
 Classification of Distinctive Features
(DFs):
+ (DFs) are classified into four major classes:

1. major class features: [consonantal, [sonorants] and [syllabic]

2. laryngeal features: [voice], [spread glottis] [SG], and ]constricted
glottis] [CG].
3. place features: [labial], [round], [coronal],
+ [anterior], [strident], [dorsal features].
4. manner features: [nasal], [continuant], [lateral], [delayed release]
[DR].

Major Class Features

+ These features distinguish between five

natural classes of phonemes: vowels,
liquids, nasals, and obstruent (plosives –
fricatives –affricates).
 Consonantal
+ [+consonantal]: this feature covers all phonemes
produced with a major obstruction in the vocal tract
including obstruents, liquids and nasals. [-consonantal]
feature covers all phonemes produced without a major
obstruction in the vocal tract. In other words, they are
produced with relatively free air flow including all
vowels and Glides.

+Syllabic
+ [+syllabic]: this feature covers all phonemes that can
function as the nucleus (peak) of the syllable including all
vowels, syllabic liquids and syllabic nasals.

+ [-syllabic: this feature covers all phonemes that occur at the

left or right margins of the nucleus i.e. the onsets and codas
of the syllables including obstruents, liquids, glides and
nasals.
 Sonorant
+ [+sonorant]: this feature covers all phonemes produced
with high energy and they have a singable quality (they can
be sung at various tones) including all vowels, liquids,
glides, and nasals. [-sonorant feature

+ covers phonemes that are not produced with a singable

quality or with various tones including all obstruents.

obstruents nasals liquids glides vowels

+ + + - - consonantal

- +\- +\- - + syllabic

- + + + + sonorant
k, ɡ, f, z, n, m,ŋ l,r j, w æ,ə,ɔː,ɪ,. examples
 +Laryngeal Features
+ These features describe the states of the
glottis when it is tightly closed, slightly
open, open or there is a vibration of the
vocal cords.

+Voice
+ [+voice]: this feature covers all sounds produced
with the vibration of the vocal cords such as [b, d
and ɡ.

+ [-voice] sounds that do not involve vibration of the

vocal cords such as [p, t, and k.
 Constricted Glottis [CG]
+ [+CG] sounds made with the glottis closed
including only one sound in English and
Arabic which is the glottal stop [ʕ]. [-CG]
covers all other sounds which do not involve
closing the glottis.

Spread Glottis [SG]

+ [SG]: this feature distinguishes aspirated from unaspirated
consonants.

+ [+SG] aspirated sounds are only four sounds [h] and the
aspirated allophones of voiceless stops [pʰ, tʰ, kʰ].

+ [-SG] unaspirated consonants sounds.

 Place Features
+Labial [+labial]: this feature covers any
speech sound using one or both lips such as [p,
b, m, f, v, w] and the sounds that are [+round].
[-labial] sounds whose production does not
involve the lips including other consonants.

Round
+ [+round] sounds produced with lips rounding such as [w]
and round [ɒ, ɔː, ʊ, uː].

+ [-round] covers other sounds that do not involve lips

rounding such as [ɪ, e, æ]. All [+round] sounds are
unavoidably [+labial], but [+labial] are not necessarily
[+round] such as [p, b, f, v, m as they are [+labial but

+ [-round].
 Coronal
+ [+coronal]: this feature covers all sounds articulated
with the tip or blade of tongue against the corona of
the upper teeth ridge including interdental [ð , θ ,
alveolar [t, d, s, z, n, l, r] and alveopalatal [ʃ, ʒ, tʃ,
dʒ].

+ [-coronal] sounds whose production does not

involve the tip or the blade of the tongue including
all other consonants such as [b, p, f, v, j, k, h] etc..

Anterior
+ Anterior [+anterior] feature covers sounds
produced in the front part of the oral cavity i.e.
any sound produced before the palate-alveolar
region including bilabial [p, b, m, labiodental [f,
v] interdental [ð , θ], and alveolar [t, d, s, z, n, l,
r]. [-anterior] covers all other consonants i.e.
palatoalveolars, palatals, velars, uvulars
pharyngeals and glottal sounds.
 Strident
+ [+strident] sounds produced with a noisy
hissing sounds including alveolar fricatives [s,
z], alveopalatal fricatives [ʃ, ʒ] and the
alveopalatal affricates [tʃ, dʒ]. [-strident] all
other consonants without hissing.
+

Dorsal Features (body of the tongue).

+ Dorsal features represent vertical and
horizontal positions of the tongue
body. Dorsal features include five
features most of which are to describe
vowels.
 High
+ [+high] speech sounds produced with the body of
the tongue raised high closer to the roof of the
mouth including the vowels [iː, ɪ, ʊ, uː] and the
following consonants [k, ɡ, w, j, ŋ]. [-high] covers
other vowels and consonants that do not involve
height of tongue.

Low
+ [+low] covers all vowels produced with
body of the tongue lowered from a central
position in the mouth including [æ, ʌ, ɑː,
ɒ]. [-low] covers all other vowels.
 Back

+ [+back] any sound produced behind the hard

palate in the mouth including the vowels [ɑː,
ɒ, ɔː, ʊ, ɒ and the following consonants [k, ɡ,
ŋ, w]. [-back] other vowels and consonants.

Tense
+ [+tense] covers all the vowels whose
articulation involves tensing the muscles
of the mouth such as long vowels [iː, ɔː,
uː, ɜː, ɑː]. [-tense] covers all other short
and lax vowels.
 Reduced
+ [+reduced] the schwa sound [ə] is the only
[+reduced] vowel in English. The term reduced
here is synonymous with weak and it is normally
unstressed.

+ [-reduced] all other vowels rather than the schwa..

Manner Features

+These features
represent manner of
articulation.
 Nasal

+ [+nasal] sounds that are produced with the

uvula lowered to allow airflow to escape
through the nasal passage including [m, n, ŋ].
[-nasal] all other consonants and vowels.

+ Notice that nasals, although their airflow

passes freely in the nose, their airflow is
blocked in the mouth and consequently they
are still [-continuant] because [+continuant]
refers to the free airflow in the mouth and not
in the nose
 Lateral
+ [+lateral] the consonant [l] is the only [+lateral]
sound in English. It involves the escaping of the
airflow from both sides of the tongue. [-lateral]
including all other sounds. This feature is considered
as synonymous of the feature [+central] which
involves the passing of airflow from the center of
the mouth.

Delayed Release [DL]

+[+DL] [tʃ, dʒ] are the only

two sounds including in this
feature, their articulation
involves the delay of the
 u: ʊ ɔ: ɒ ɑ: ɜ: ə ʌ æ e ɪ i: Features

- - - - - - - - - - - - [consonantal MCF

+ + + + + + + + + + + + [sonorant

+ + + + + + + + + + + + [syllabic

+ + + + + + + + + + + + [voice LF

+ + + + - - - - - - - - [round PF

+ + - - - - - - - - + + [high DF

- - - + + - - + + - - - [low

+ + + + + - - - - - - - [back

+ - + - + + - - - - - + [tense

F p b t d k ɡ f v s z θ ð ʃ ʒ

MCF C
class

lary +V
ngea
l
CG

SG

pla L
ce
R

CO

AN

ST
 F ʧ ʤ m n ŋ l r j w h ʔ

MCF C

laryngeal +V

CG

SG

L
place
R

CO

AN

ST