The contrastive hierarchy in phonology 2009 Dresher.pdf - CUNY ...

Subtree (3.28b) depicts the contrasts among the consonants specified
[–vocality, –nasality] and (3.28c) shows the corresponding vowels.
Whereas Martinet (1964) stipulates that place is the main contrastive
dimension for French consonants, with occlusion playing no contrastive role at
all, Jakobson and Lotz make occlusion the main contrastive dimension, and
collapse the place distinctions into four contrastive places, demarcated by the
features [saturation] and [gravity]. They propose that saturated phonemes have
longer duration, higher perceptibility, and greater resistance to distortion than
non-saturated (= diluted) phonemes; saturated consonants (palatals and velars)
have a widened front resonator and reduced volume of the back resonator in
comparison to diluted consonants (labials and dentals). The distinction between
grave and non-grave (= acute) consonants is relevant only among consonants
that are [–saturation], and opposes labials, with a predominant lower formant, to
dentals, with a predominant upper formant. 15
Jakobson and Lotz present some empirical evidence in favour of their
analysis, based on the adaptation of foreign sounds, as well as on language-
internal alternations. They observe (1949: 153):
the difference between velar and palatal is irrelevant in French
phonemics... These contextual variations do not hinder French
speakers from rendering the English velar N through the French
15 The limitation of the grave/acute distinction to diluted consonants is inconsistent with other
definitions of gravity, where palatals, which are saturated, are acute, not grave; compare the
analysis of Serbo-Croatian by Jakobson (1949) presented in the next chapter.
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