PIRSA:13010017

Hidden Structure in Linguistics: The Organization of Sound Systems

Dresher, E. (2013). Hidden Structure in Linguistics: The Organization of Sound Systems. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/13010017

Dresher, Elan. Hidden Structure in Linguistics: The Organization of Sound Systems. Perimeter Institute, Jan. 30, 2013, https://pirsa.org/13010017 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:13010017,
            doi = {10.48660/13010017},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/13010017},
            author = {Dresher, Elan},
            keywords = {},
            language = {en},
            title = {Hidden Structure in Linguistics: The Organization of Sound Systems},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2013},
            month = {jan},
            note = {PIRSA:13010017 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Elan Dresher

Talk numberPIRSA:13010017
DOI10.48660/13010017
Collection
Talk Type Scientific Series

Abstract

I will discuss some basic notions in the theory of phonology (sound systems in language). The sounds of a language are generally assumed to be composed of smaller constituents, called features. The features that make up a sound cannot be directly obtained from its pronunciation, but rather must be inferred from the system of contrasts that are at play in a particular language. How to determine which features are contrastive presents a logical and empirical puzzle that may be interesting to students of physics, who are accustomed to explaining observable events in terms of hidden structures that cannot be directly observed.