A guide to distinctive features I. Abbreviations and more or less standard phonetic or phonological characterizations.

The + or - indicates which the phonetic definition applies to. [syllabic] [consonantal] [sonorant] [continuant] [delayed rel.] [nasal] [high] [low] [back] [round] [tense] [anterior] [coronal] [distributed] [lateral] [strident] [voice] [stress] [long] [+syl] [+cons] [-son] [-cont] [+del rel] [+nas] [+hi] [+lo] [+bak] [+rd] [+tense] [+ant] [+cor] [+dist] [+lat] [+stri] [+voi] [+stress] [+long] Forms head of syllable. Contact with mid-sagittal vocal tract surface (and ). Enough air-flow obstruction to inhibit voicing. Complete oral closure. End of sound is continuant. Velum lowered. Tongue body raised. Tongue body lowered (and glottal consonants). Tongue body backed. Lip rounding. Peripherally articulated. An obstruction in the anterior part of the oral cavity. Blade of tongue raised. A long mid-sagittal obstruction. Airflow around mid-sagittal obstruction. Tongue used to focus air jets (and labio-dentals). Vocal cords oscillate. Greater articulatory force. Greater duration.

II. Major class and manner features: [syl] [cons] [son] [nas] [lat] [cont] [del rel] + + + + (-) + + + -

vowels glides liquids syllabic liquids nasals syllabic nasals fricatives affricates stops glottals

+ + + -

+ + + + + + + (-)

+ + + + + + -

+ + -

+ + + + + -

Empty cells indicate either plus or minus might be specified. Features in parentheses are somewhat controversial.

III. Place of articulation features: [ant] + + + + [cor] + + + + [dist] + + + + + + + [hi] [lo] [bak] [stri] +

bilabials labio-dentals apico-alveolars lamino-alvolars alveopalatals retroflexes palatals velars uvulars pharyngeals glottals vowels

+ + + -

+ +

+ + + -

Note also, secondary articulations on consonants (such as Russian p-superscript-j) are gotten using the [hi], [lo], [bak] and [rd] features. So, a consonant with [+hi, -bak] is palatalized, [+hi, +bak] is velarized, [+lo, +bak] is pharyngealized, and +rd] is labialized.

IV. A distinctive feature matrix for some popular sounds (in accord with Chomsky and Halle, 1968). The last few sounds are [t] + some accompanyment; these are here to illustrate in general how to express the accompanyment in distinctive features. cons syll son hi bak lo ant cor voi cont nas stri del rel rd grave lab pal cons syll son hi bak lo ant cor voi cont nas stri delrel rd grave lab pal p + + + + S + + + + + + + b + + + + + J + + + + + + + + F + + + + + + c + + + B + + + + + + + + + + + m + + + + + + + + + + + + pf + + + + + + j + + + + + bv + + + + + + + + + + + + + f + + + + + + + y + + + + + v + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Q + + + + + k + + + + D + + + + + + g + + + + + t + + + x + + + + + + d + + + + V + + + + + + + ts + + + + + N + + + + + + + dz + + + + + + kp + + + + + s + + + + + + gb + + + + + + z + + + + + + + Nm + + + + + + + n + + + + + + w + + + + + + + l + + + + + + + q + + + + + r + + + + + + + G + + + + + tS + + + + + X + + + + dJ + + + + + + -

cons syll son hi bak lo ant cor voi cont nas stri del rel rd grave lab pal

+ + + + + + -

R + + + + + + -

+ + + + + + -

? + + + + + + + -

/ + + + -

h + + + + -

H + + + + + -

tw + + + -

tj + + + + -

t + + + + + -

t? + + + + + -

t + + + + -

V. Acoustic features from Jakobsen, Fant and Halle (1952, 1963) The more generally used articulatory features from Chomsky and Halle (1968) are largely derived from the earlier acoustic features described in J F & H, though they differ in their details. Vocalic Periodic sources with smooth onset. - describes vowels and liquids Consonantal Includes the presence of spectral zeros - describes all consonants. Interrupted Interrupted have abrupt onsets -describes stops, affricates, and trills. (Continuants = non-interrupted = fricatives and [l]) Checked Have abrupt endings - describes glottalized and ejective consonants. Strident Have irregular waveforms - describes sibilants, labio-dentals and uvulars as well as affricates. (Mellow = non-strident = bilabials, inter-dentals, velars, and stops) Compact Have energy in a narrow frequency band - describes velars and palatals; also used for low vowels. (Diffuse = non-compact = alveolars and labials and high vowels.) Grave Have low frequency energy - describes labials and velars; also used for back vowels. (Acute = non-grave = coronals and front vowels) Flat Have lowered formants - describes rounded sounds. Sharp Have raised formants - describes palatalized sounds. Tense Have more and longer intensity - describes familiar vowel distinctions, as well as voiceless stops. Nasal Have distinctive formant zeros - describes nasals What follows is a partial chart of some of the sounds of English marked with the appropriate features. In some cases, I have had to guess, since they were not exhaustive in their inventory of English sounds. o Vocalic Consonantal Compact Grave Flat Sharp Nasal Tense Continuant Strident + + + + + + a + + + + + e + + + + u + + + + + + + + i + + l + + + N + + + + + + S + + + + + + k + + + + J + + + + + g m f + + + + + + + + + + + + p + + + v + + + b + + n + + + + s + + + t + + z + + D + + d h

- + - - + - +