[continuant] An Animated and Narrated Glossary of Terms used in Linguistics presents

Slide 2 Basic idea [continuant] is a phonological feature. It is used as a distinctive feature for distinguishing different phones/phonemes/segments. It is also used as a distinctive feature for capturing a natural class of segments.

Slide 3 Definitions Definition 1 A phone/phoneme X is [continuant] if in the articulation of X, air flows out of the center of the oral cavity. Definition 2 A phone/phoneme X is [continuant] if in the articulation of X, air flows out of the oral cavity.

Slide 4 The case of [l] Definition 1 A phone/phoneme X is [continuant] if in the articulation of X, air flows out of the center of the oral cavity. [l] which is produced with the coronal touching the alveolar ridge would be non- continuant.

Slide 5 The case of [l] Definition 2 A phone/phoneme X is [continuant] if in the articulation of X, air flows out of the oral cavity. [l] which is produced with the coronal touching the alveolar ridge would be continuant since air flows out from the sides of the mouth.

Slide 6 Original Statement In the production of continuant sounds, the primary constriction in the vocal tract is not narrowed to the point where the air flow past the constriction is blocked; in stops the air flow through the mouth is effectively blocked. (Chomsky & Halle (1968) SPE, p.317) Consistent with both definitions above. The case of [l] is uncertain (Chomsky & Halle (1968) SPE, p.317)

Slide 7 Natural Class [p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, ŋ] etc are non- continuants by either definitions. Use of [continuant] as a feature allows the capture of the above phones pattern as a natural class (i.e. they pattern together as a class across different languages and domains), by referring to them as non- continuants.

Slide 8 Non-[continuant] as a class Evidence 1 Languages that allow [b, d, g] as syllable codas necessarily also allow [p, t, k]. Languages that allow [p, t, k] as syllable codas necessarily also allow [m, n,  ]. Evidence 2 Across languages nasals and the following [m, n, , p, t, k, b, d, g] agree in place of articulation (i.e. *[mn], *[mt], *[np], *[ng], …). More…

Slide 9 Common Misconception [continuant] is not to be interpreted as having “continued air flow” as is commonly misconceived by those who have not read the definitions carefully or examined the evidence that motivated the feature.

The End Wee, Lian-Hee and Winnie H.Y. Cheung (2009) An animated and narrated glossary of terms used in Linguistics. Hong Kong Baptist University.