Hidden Structure in Linguistics: The Organization of Sound Systems
APA
Dresher, E. (2013). Hidden Structure in Linguistics: The Organization of Sound Systems. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/13010017
MLA
Dresher, Elan. Hidden Structure in Linguistics: The Organization of Sound Systems. Perimeter Institute, Jan. 30, 2013, https://pirsa.org/13010017
BibTex
@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}} }
Collection
Talk Type
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.