Theory of Phonological Features

This book outlines a system of phonological features that is minimally sufficient to distinguish all consonants and vowels in the languages of the world. San Duanmu focuses on a straightforward procedure to interpret empirical data and reveals a surprisingly simple feature system whereby a two-way contrast for each feature proves sufficient.

List of contents

• Preface


• Acknowledgements


• Abbreviations and terms used


• 1: Introduction


• 2: Method


• 3: Vowel contrasts


• 4: Vowel height


• 5: Consonant contrasts


• 6: A feature system


• 7: Complex sounds


• 8: Concluding remarks


• References


• Author Index


• Language Index


• Subject Index

About the author

San Duanmu is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan. He received his PhD in Linguistics from MIT in 1990 and has held teaching posts at Fudan University, Shanghai and at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is the author of The Phonology of Standard Chinese (2nd edn; OUP 2007) and Syllable Structure: The Limits of Variation (OUP, 2008).

Product details

• Authors: San Duanmu, San (Professor of Linguistics Duanmu, Duanmu San
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 17.10.2019
• EAN: 9780199664979
• ISBN: 978-0-19-966497-9
• No. of pages: 192
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Psycholinguistics, Phonetics, phonology, Historical & comparative linguistics, Psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics, Historical and comparative linguistics