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Natural Classes Cheat Sheet (phonology)

Natural Classes

  • Laryngeals only have major-class feature specifications, they aren’t specified for manner or for place features.
  • p. 68: «(The term ‘lateral’ is used for any l-type sounds, while the term ‘rhotic’ refers to any r-type sound; laterals and rhotics are often referred to as liquids.)»
major-class features
(where [-feature] is omitted, it means “rest is [-feature]”)
[±consonantal] = [±cons]
[+cons]
plosives, affricates, fricatives, nasals, laterals, [r]
[-cons]
vowels, glides, laryngeals
[±sonorant] = [±son]
[+son]
vowels, glides, liquids, nasals
[-son]
obstruents = plosives, affricates, fricatives, laryngeals
[±approximant] = [±approx]
[+approx]
vowels, non-nasal sonorants (glides, liquids)
[-approx]
nasals, obstruents
laryngeal features
[±voice]
[+voice]
sonorants and voiced obstruents
[-voice]
voiceless obstruents
[±spread glottis] = [±spread]
[+spread]
aspirated segments and [h ɦ]
[±constricted glottis] = [±constr]
[+constr]
[ʔ], laryngealised sonorants, glottalised obstruents, implosives
manner features
[±continuant] = [±cont]
[+cont]
plosives, nasal consonants, affricates, laterals
[±nasal] = [±nas]
[+nas]
nasalised vowels and nasal consonants
[±strident]
[+strident]
obstruents with noisier frication, affricates (controversial)
[-strident]
other obstruents
[±lateral] = [±lat]
[+lateral]
l-type sounds
  • [l] is ambiguous with regards to [±cont]
place features
(where [-feature] is omitted, it means “rest is [-feature]”)
[labial]
[±round]
[+round]
has lip rounding (round vowels, labialised consonants)
[coronal]
[θ ~ j]
[±anterior] = [±ant]
[+ant]
the crown articulates with alveolar ridge or somewhere further forward
[±distributed] = [±distr]
[+distr]
produced with a constriction extending for a relatively great distance along the vocal tract, e.g. [ʃ, ʧ, ʒ, θ, ð].
[dorsal]
bunched dorsum velars, fronted velars, uvulars, vowels. sub-features of [dorsal] are termed tongue body features.
[±high]
[+high]
dorsum raised close to the roof of the mouth
[±low]
[+low]
bunched dorsum low in the mouth
[±back]
[+back]
bunched dorsum positioned in the centre or further back: velar and uvular consonants, centre and back vowels
[-back]
fronted velars and front vowels
[±tense]
[+tense] vowels are produced with a more peripheral and somewhat closer tongue position that [-tense] ones; only relevant if the language distinguishes between tense/lax vowels
[+tense]
[i e a o u…]
[-tense]
[ɪ ɛ ɑ ɔ ʊ…]
[±Advanced Tongue Root] = [±ATR]
similar to [+tense]
[+ATR]
forward position of tongue body, enlarging the pharynx
[±Retracted Tongue Root] = [±RTR]
similar to [-tense]
[+RTR]
retraction and lowering of tongue body, narrowing the pharynx
[radical] = [pharyngeal]
articulated with the root of the tongue
% Created 2021-03-18 Prş 10:40
% Intended LaTeX compiler: xelatex
\documentclass[11pt]{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{grffile}
\usepackage{longtable}
\usepackage{wrapfig}
\usepackage{rotating}
\usepackage[normalem]{ulem}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{textcomp}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{capt-of}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{fontspec}
\usepackage[margin=0.5cm,lmargin=3cm]{geometry}
\renewcommand{\maketitle}{}
\author{Göktuğ Kayaalp}
\date{\today}
\title{Natural Classes\\\medskip
\large From Gussenhoven\&Jacobs 2016}
\hypersetup{
pdfauthor={Göktuğ Kayaalp},
pdftitle={Natural Classes},
pdfkeywords={},
pdfsubject={},
pdfcreator={Emacs 28.0.50 (Org mode 9.4.4)},
pdflang={English}}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
\setromanfont[%
SmallCapsFont=Linux Libertine O,
SmallCapsFeatures={Letters=SmallCaps}
]{DejaVu Sans Condensed}
\setmainfont[%
SmallCapsFont=Linux Libertine O,
SmallCapsFeatures={Letters=SmallCaps}
]{DejaVu Sans Condensed}
\begin{itemize}
\item \textbf{Laryngeals} \uline{only} have \textbf{major-class} feature specifications,
they aren’t specified for manner or for place features.
\item p. 68: «(The term ‘lateral’ is used for any l-type sounds, while the
term ‘rhotic’ refers to any r-type sound; laterals and rhotics are
often referred to as \textbf{liquids}.)»
\item[{major-class features}] (where [-feature] is omitted, it means
"rest is [-feature]")
\begin{description}
\item[{[±consonantal] = [±cons]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+cons]}] plosives, affricates, fricatives, nasals, laterals, [r]
\item[{[-cons]}] vowels, glides, laryngeals
\end{description}
\item[{[±sonorant] = [±son]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+son]}] vowels, glides, liquids, nasals
\item[{[-son]}] obstruents = plosives, affricates, fricatives, laryngeals
\end{description}
\item[{[±approximant] = [±approx]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+approx]}] vowels, non-nasal sonorants (glides, liquids)
\item[{[-approx]}] nasals, obstruents
\end{description}
\end{description}
\item[{laryngeal features}] \begin{description}
\item[{[±voice]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+voice]}] sonorants and voiced obstruents
\item[{[-voice]}] voiceless obstruents
\end{description}
\item[{[±spread glottis] = [±spread]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+spread]}] aspirated segments and [h ɦ]
\end{description}
\item[{[±constricted glottis] = [±constr]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+constr]}] [ʔ], laryngealised sonorants, glottalised
obstruents, implosives
\end{description}
\end{description}
\item[{manner features}] \begin{description}
\item[{[±continuant] = [±cont]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+cont]}] plosives, nasal consonants, affricates, laterals
\end{description}
\item[{[±nasal] = [±nas]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+nas]}] nasalised vowels and nasal consonants
\end{description}
\item[{[±strident]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+strident]}] obstruents with noisier frication, affricates
(controversial)
\item[{[-strident]}] other obstruents
\end{description}
\item[{[±lateral] = [±lat]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+lateral]}] l-type sounds
\end{description}
\end{description}
\item \textbf{[l]} is ambiguous with regards to \textbf{[±cont]}
\item[{place features}] (where [-feature] is omitted, it means "rest is
[-feature]")
\begin{description}
\item[{[labial]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[±round]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+round]}] has lip rounding (round vowels, labialised
consonants)
\end{description}
\end{description}
\item[{[coronal]}] [θ \textasciitilde{} j]
\begin{description}
\item[{[±anterior] = [±ant]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+ant]}] the crown articulates with alveolar ridge or
somewhere further forward
\end{description}
\item[{[±distributed] = [±distr]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+distr]}] produced with a constriction extending for a
relatively great distance along the vocal tract, e.g. [ʃ, ʧ,
ʒ, θ, ð].
\end{description}
\end{description}
\item[{[dorsal]}] bunched dorsum velars, fronted velars, uvulars,
vowels. sub-features of [dorsal] are termed \emph{tongue body features}.
\begin{description}
\item[{[±high]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+high]}] dorsum raised close to the roof of the mouth
\end{description}
\item[{[±low]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+low]}] bunched dorsum low in the mouth
\end{description}
\item[{[±back]}] \begin{description}
\item[{[+back]}] bunched dorsum positioned in the centre or further
back: velar and uvular consonants, centre and back vowels
\item[{[-back]}] fronted velars and front vowels
\end{description}
\item[{[±tense]}] [+tense] vowels are produced with a more peripheral
and somewhat closer tongue position that [-tense] ones; only
relevant if the language distinguishes between tense/lax vowels
\begin{description}
\item[{[+tense]}] [i e a o u\ldots{}]
\item[{[-tense]}] [ɪ ɛ ɑ ɔ ʊ\ldots{}]
\end{description}
\item[{[±Advanced Tongue Root] = [±ATR]}] similar to [+tense]
\begin{description}
\item[{[+ATR]}] forward position of tongue body, enlarging the pharynx
\end{description}
\item[{[±Retracted Tongue Root] = [±RTR]}] similar to [-tense]
\begin{description}
\item[{[+RTR]}] retraction and lowering of tongue body, narrowing
the pharynx
\end{description}
\end{description}
\item[{[radical] = [pharyngeal]}] articulated with the root of the
tongue
\end{description}
\end{itemize}
\end{document}
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