[distributed]

Counterpart

[nondistributed]

Feature System

Definition

The feature [distributed], or [dist], describes phones produced with a “constriction that extends for a considerable distance along the direction” of airflow (SPE p. 312). Laminal sounds are [+distributed], covering dental [t̪, d̪, θ, ð, n̪] and palatoalveolar (postalveolar) [t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ, ʃ, ʒ] and palatal sounds [c, ɟ, ç, ʝ, ɲ]. Apical sounds are [-distributed], applied to alveolar ([t, d, s, z, n]) and retroflex sounds ([ʈ, ɖ, ʂ, ʐ , ɳ].

Purpose

This feature distinguishes sounds whose constriction extends for longer distances at time of production from those which have shorter lengths of restriction of airflow in the vocal tract during articulation. English does not use this as a distinctive feature, so it has no minimal pairs in which this is the sole distinction.

Tenme and Isoko account for contrast between [+dist] and [-dist] anterior consonants distinctly. While, in Tenme, [+dist] consonants are articulated somewhat further back than their [-dist] counterparts, Isoko presents contrastively, with [-dist] presenting further back.

Polish soft dentals are [+dist] while the hard dentals are [-dist] due to extension of contact between the tongue and mouth roof.SPE proposes a rule for Sanskrit in which a [-distributed] dental alternates with a [-distr] retroflex consonant after nonlow, nonanterior sounds: [-dist, +cor] ⟶ [-ant]/ [-ant,-low]___ (p. 314). Presumably, this refers to the ruki rule, e.g. the locative plural –su alternating with –ṣu after r, u, K, i (Zwicky 1970).

History

Several researchers noticed and described [distributed] as an important feature in phonologies of languages (see Echeverría and Aranta (1965) on Araucanian or Stevens (1965) on Madurese). Several of these languages include minimal pairs with [+dist] and [-dist] consonants. As far as here noted, The sound patterns of English was the first work to report all considered distinctive features while including [dist]. Jakobson did not note [dist] as a distinctive feature in any of his works prior to this.

References

Chomsky, Noam; and Morris Halle. 1968. The sound pattern of English. New York: Harper and Row.

Ladefoged, Peter. 1964. A phonetic study of West African languages. (West

African Language Monographs, 1). Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press. Zwicky, Arnold M. 1970. Greek-letter variables and the Sanskrit ruki class. Linguistic Inquiry 1(4).549-555.

Author

Allon Boettcher