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  3. The Contrastive Hierarchy in Phonology
  • Cited by 161
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      May 2010
      September 2009
      ISBN:
      9780511642005
      9780521889735
      9780521182355
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511642005
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.6kg, 294 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.4kg, 294 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Phonetics and Phonology, English Language and Linguistics: General Interest, Language and Linguistics
      Series:
      Cambridge Studies in Linguistics (121)
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    Subjects:
    Phonetics and Phonology, English Language and Linguistics: General Interest, Language and Linguistics
    Series:
    Cambridge Studies in Linguistics (121)
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    Book description

    'Contrast' - the opposition between distinctive sounds in a language - is one of the most central concepts in linguistics. This book presents a fascinating account of the logic and history of contrast in phonology. It provides empirical evidence from diverse phonological domains that only contrastive features are computed by the phonological component of grammar. It argues that the contrastive specifications of phonemes are governed by language-particular feature hierarchies. This approach assigns a key role to abstract cognitive structures, challenging contemporary approaches that favour phonetic explanations of phonological phenomena. Tracing the evolution of the hypothesis that contrastive features play a special role in phonology, it shows how this insight has been obscured by misunderstandings of the role of the contrastive feature hierarchy. Questioning the widely held notion that contrast should be based on minimal pairs, Elan Dresher argues that the contrastive hierarchy is indispensable to illuminating accounts of phonological patterning.

    Reviews

    'Overall I believe this book makes a valuable contribution in providing a history of contrast in phonological theory, and is ideal for graduate courses - I intend to use it.'

    Source: The Journal of Phonology

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