Distinctive Features Flashcards
[+syll]
Constitute a syllable nucleus around which segments may be gathered to form a syllable: vowels, as in [bæt], and syllabic consonants as in [bɔtl̩], [ps̩t]
[-syll]
Non-syllabic consonants, including glides and nonsyllabic laterals and nasals, eg in [læm]
[+cons]
Produced with a sustained constriction that is at least equal to that required for a fricative (in the central line of the oral cavity): stops, fricatives, nasals, liquids (laterals, rhotics), tap, trill. Some pharyngeal fricatives/approximants depending on the degree of frication.
[-cons]
vowels, glides, glottal fricatives and glottal stop
[+son]
Articulation is sufficiently open that the air pressure inside and outside the mouth is approximately equal: vowels, approximants (glides, liquids), nasals, glottal fricatives and glottal stop. Most sonorants are typically but not necessarily voiced.
[-son]
aka obstruents: other stops and fricatives
[+cor]
Involving tip or blade of tongue: laminal and apical sounds.
[+ant]
Coronal sounds produced at the alveolar ridge or forward: alveolars, dentals (& linguo-labials?).
[-ant]
Coronal sounds produced behind the alveolar ridge: post-alveolars.
[+dist]
Coronal sounds produced with a greater area of constriction: laminals.
[-dist]
Coronal sounds produced with a lesser area of constriction: apicals.
[+lab]
Articulation involves one or both lips: bilabials, labiodentals, rounded vowels, glides and other consonants
[+rnd]
Produced with lip-rounding or protrusion: rounded vowels, [w], labialised consonants. All [+round] sounds are automatically [+labial].
[-rnd]
Produced without lip-rounding or protrusion.
[+dors]
Involving body of tongue as articulator: palatals, velars, uvulars; all vowels.
[+hi]
Produced with tongue body raised from neutral position: high vowels and glides, palatalised and velarised sounds.
[-hi]
All other dorsal sounds.
[+lo]
Produced with tongue body lowered from neutral position: low vowels (and possibly pharyngeals).
[-lo]
All other dorsal sounds.
[+ba]
Produced with tongue body moved back from neutral position: back and central vowels and glides, velars, uvulars, velarised and uvularised sounds.
[-ba]
All other dorsal sounds.
[+cont]
Constriction in the oral cavity is not narrow enough to completely block oral airflow: vowels, glides and fricatives. Probably also rhotics and lateral approximants.
[-cont]
Nasal consonants and stops.
[+str]
Continuants produced with high-intensity frication: fricatives and affricates eg [f] [v] [s] [ʃ] [χ] [ʁ] [ɬ] [ɮ]
[-str]
All other [+continuant] sounds.
[+lat]
Produced with a lateral airstream: lateral approximants and fricatives (& possibly lateral clicks).
[+nas]
Produced with nasal airflow: nasal and nasalised consonants, nasalised vowels and glides.
[+tns]
Produced with greater/sustained articulatory effort. Mostly restricted to vowels.
[+ATR]
Produced with the tongue root in an advanced position. A single property may well underlie both ATR and [tense].
[+CP]
Produced with a constricted pharynx: pharyngeals.
[+voi]
Produced with (relatively greater) voicing.
[-voi]
Produced with no (or relatively little) voicing
[+SG]
Vocal folds held apart: aspirated consonants, voiceless sonorants and glottal fricatives.
[+CG]
Constricted Glottis: vocal folds drawn together preventing voicing: ejectives, implosives, glottalised/laryngealised sounds and [ʔ].
