PHY103 - Distinctive Features I

This first of two E-Lectures about distinctive features in phonology looks at the historical development of distinctive features from Trubetzkoy's system of distinctive oppositions via Jakobson's system of acoustic features to Chomsky's and Halle's system described in their influential work "The Sound Pattern of English." In a follow up E-Lecture today's feature systems will be discussed and the primary motivations behind distinctive features in phonology will be exemplified.

[coffeeoverdose]

I was trying to grasp these concepts for more than five hours. Thank you !! You're a life saver

[oer-vlc]

You are absolutely right. I added the annotation at 6:56 that Jakobson was a Russian. I am really grateful for corrections of this kind. This improves the quality of our videos enormously.

[EmmyAziz]

This is definitely the best YouTube Channel! Thank you for this treasure!

[LaithSalim]

this explanation was so detailed and interesting thank you !

[إخلاصعونجعفرشعبه]

Thanks alot, I wanna ask you this question, can distinctive features theory be applied to syntax? Or other fields of linguistics?? Or only in phonology and phonetics, please I need an answer, if yes, tell me how, ?

[avidreader]

I was watching the phonology playlist in the order in which videos were arranged or played naturally in youtube. I found the 7th video PHY103 referred to the 6th Video PHY104 as the second of a two part explanation. I had seen such sequence related confusion in some other play lists also. Kindly confirm if these do not matter, or have been arranged in a specific order for any reason.

[avidreader]

Are diffuse and compact complementary? That is to say, is +diffuse equivalent to -compact and +compact equivalent to -diffuse ?

[berkiuao]

A great video and a great explanation !!!
you have solved all my doubts :)

[sarahajoot]

I was able to understand the distinctive feature thank you

[abramoibra]

Many many thanks Sir, this is very helpful.

[meandorphanstv]

thanks sir but i have a question apart, there's difference between sound patterns in languages and distinctive features in languages?

[soufianesfn]

I have been watching your lectures lately and i want to thank you Sir for the immense effort to impart your knoledge with students like myself. i have question if you do not mind, and that is : in Chomsky's SPE System of Distinctive Features the feature [anterior] is mentioned when ''the main obstruction of the airstream is at a point  no farther back in the mouth than the alveolar ridge'' p.44; and he adds ''Labials, dentals[...] are anterior'' p.44. and you professor has given /p/ the feature [-anterior] even if it is Labial. in addition, i have come thrrough some texts arguing that ' Anterior segments are articulated with the tip or blade of the tongue at or in front of the alveolar ridge' . i am a bit confused whether labials are anteriors (as quoted from Chomsky) or they are not. 
thank you in advance Sir for your time :) 

[AdamOu]

First :)
Thanks Sir, your videos are very useful

[DocumGaia]

Hello and thank you for this lesson.
Can I ask you something? Well, I read that the feature anterior designates all those sounds produced with the front part of the mouth: lips, teeth and alveolar ridges. So /p/ would be +anterior -coronal. Now I am confused! Could you clarify that to me, please?

[jacobthaisen]

Thank you for this very nice lecture. However, permit me one small correction: Roman Jakobson was a Russian.

[Linguistics]

Roman Jacobson is a Russian - American linguist

[BlaherTiger]

But [c] isn't articulated with the blade of the tongue...
TBH, Chomsky's theory is really incoherent and overrated. There are ways simpler than that.