Distinctive Features and Phonemes

Distinctive Features in Speech Sounds

Definition

• A distinctive feature is a property of a sound that differentiates it from other phonemes.

Characteristics

• Features are binary: they either exist for a phoneme or they do not.

• Changes in features can lead to changes in phonemes.

Example

• Voicing Distinction:

  • The change from /s/ (voiceless) to /z/ (voiced) involves the addition of voicing as a distinctive feature.