Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics.pdf

Dictionary of language and linguistics 890phoneme analysisProcess for determining the phonemes of a language, their characteristics, relations, andcombinatory rules in the framework of a particular language theory. The proceedings ofthe Prague School (N.Trubetzkoy, R.Jakobson) are based on the functional aspect ofphonemes and their characteristics as semantically distinctive elements of language andprimarily on the analysis of their distinctive oppositions. American structuralism(principally L.Bloomfield, Z.S.Harris) attempts to determine the pho nemic inventory byestablishing the possible environments in which phonemes occur. Regardless ofdivergences in the theoretical approaches, certain procedures are fundamental to any(structuralist) phonemic analysis: the smallest distinctive sound units are identified andclassified according to their distribution and phonetic similarities to other phonemesthrough segmentation of the air stream and substitution of different phonemes.Substitution tests are performed on minimal pairs, e.g. [gæb] vs [kæb] vs [thæb]. Soundunits that can be substituted in the same position but are semantically distinctive areidentified as phonemes. Differences between relevant (=distinctive) and irrelevant(=redundant) features of phonemes of a language, their distribution in different positions(initial, medial, final), as well as the rules governing their possible combinations aredetermined by constantly refining the process of segmentation and classification. For acriticism of classical phoneme analysis, see Chomsky and Halle (1965). ( alsoallophone, distribution, neutralization, opposition, phonemic inventory, phonology)ReferencesChomsky, N. and M.Halle. 1965. Some controversial questions in phonological theory. JL 1. 97–138.phonology, Prague Schoolphoneme distanceDegree of relatedness between two or more phonemes based on the number of commonor different distinctive features. All phonemes can be distinguished by at least one(acoustic or articulatory) feature. For details on the conceptual system developed byN.Trubetzkoy to describe the relationships, opposition.