Contrastive distribution
Encyclopedia
Contrastive distribution in linguistics
, as opposed to complementary distribution
or free variation
, is the relationship between two different elements, where both elements are found in the same environment with a change in meaning.
, two sounds of a language are said to be in contrastive distribution if replacing one with the other in the same phonological environment results in a change in meaning. If a sound is in contrastive distribution, it is considered a phoneme
in that language.
For example, in English
, the sounds [p] and [b] can both occur word-initially, as in the words pat and bat (minimal pairs), which are distinct morphemes. Therefore, [p] and [b] are in contrastive distribution, and thus they are phonemes of English.
Note that two sounds which are in contrastive distribution in one language can be in complementary distribution or free variation in another. For example, in Korean
, the aspirated
[th
] and reinforced [tt] are in contrastive distribution, as in the words [thal] mask and [ttal] daughter. These sounds occur in English, as in the word team [thi:m] and steam [stim], but their occurrence is purely dependent upon phonological context. Therefore, in English, [th] and [tt] are not in contrastive distribution, but rather complementary distribution.
, two morphemes are in contrastive distribution if they occur in the same environment, but have different meanings.
For example, in Korean, noun phrases are followed by one of various markers that indicate syntactic role: /-ka/, /-i/, /-(l)ul/, etc. /-ka/ and /-i/ are in complementary distribution: they are both used to indicate nominative case, and their occurrence is conditioned by the final sound of the preceding noun. If the noun ends in a consonant, /-i/ occurs, otherwise, /-ka/. /-(l)ul/, on the other hand, occurs in the same position as /-i/ or /-ka/, and is also conditioned by immediately previous sound, but indicates accusative case. Therefore, /-(l)ul/ and the set {/-i/, /-ka/} are in contrastive distribution.
, the requirements are similar. An example comes from English, in which the expression of the indicative versus subjunctive mood is contrastive.
If I am a rich man, then I have a lot of money. If I were a rich man, then I would have a lot of money.
The change from non-past 1st person singular indicative am to the subjunctive were results in a change in the grammatical mood
of the sentence.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, as opposed to complementary distribution
Complementary distribution
Complementary distribution in linguistics is the relationship between two different elements, where one element is found in a particular environment and the other element is found in the opposite environment...
or free variation
Free variation
Free variation in linguistics is the phenomenon of two sounds or forms appearing in the same environment without a change in meaning and without being considered incorrect by native speakers...
, is the relationship between two different elements, where both elements are found in the same environment with a change in meaning.
Phonology
In phonologyPhonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
, two sounds of a language are said to be in contrastive distribution if replacing one with the other in the same phonological environment results in a change in meaning. If a sound is in contrastive distribution, it is considered a phoneme
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
in that language.
For example, in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, the sounds [p] and [b] can both occur word-initially, as in the words pat and bat (minimal pairs), which are distinct morphemes. Therefore, [p] and [b] are in contrastive distribution, and thus they are phonemes of English.
Note that two sounds which are in contrastive distribution in one language can be in complementary distribution or free variation in another. For example, in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, the aspirated
Aspiration (phonetics)
In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ...
[th
] and reinforced [tt] are in contrastive distribution, as in the words [thal] mask and [ttal] daughter. These sounds occur in English, as in the word team [thi:m] and steam [stim], but their occurrence is purely dependent upon phonological context. Therefore, in English, [th] and [tt] are not in contrastive distribution, but rather complementary distribution.
Morphology
In morphologyMorphology (linguistics)
In linguistics, morphology is the identification, analysis and description, in a language, of the structure of morphemes and other linguistic units, such as words, affixes, parts of speech, intonation/stress, or implied context...
, two morphemes are in contrastive distribution if they occur in the same environment, but have different meanings.
For example, in Korean, noun phrases are followed by one of various markers that indicate syntactic role: /-ka/, /-i/, /-(l)ul/, etc. /-ka/ and /-i/ are in complementary distribution: they are both used to indicate nominative case, and their occurrence is conditioned by the final sound of the preceding noun. If the noun ends in a consonant, /-i/ occurs, otherwise, /-ka/. /-(l)ul/, on the other hand, occurs in the same position as /-i/ or /-ka/, and is also conditioned by immediately previous sound, but indicates accusative case. Therefore, /-(l)ul/ and the set {/-i/, /-ka/} are in contrastive distribution.
Syntax
In syntaxSyntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
, the requirements are similar. An example comes from English, in which the expression of the indicative versus subjunctive mood is contrastive.
If I am a rich man, then I have a lot of money. If I were a rich man, then I would have a lot of money.
The change from non-past 1st person singular indicative am to the subjunctive were results in a change in the grammatical mood
Grammatical mood
In linguistics, grammatical mood is a grammatical feature of verbs, used to signal modality. That is, it is the use of verbal inflections that allow speakers to express their attitude toward what they are saying...
of the sentence.
See also
- AllomorphAllomorphIn linguistics, an allomorph is a variant form of a morpheme. The concept occurs when a unit of meaning can vary in sound without changing meaning. The term allomorph explains the comprehension of phonological variations for specific morphemes....
- AllophoneAllophoneIn phonology, an allophone is one of a set of multiple possible spoken sounds used to pronounce a single phoneme. For example, and are allophones for the phoneme in the English language...
- Complementary distributionComplementary distributionComplementary distribution in linguistics is the relationship between two different elements, where one element is found in a particular environment and the other element is found in the opposite environment...
- Free variationFree variationFree variation in linguistics is the phenomenon of two sounds or forms appearing in the same environment without a change in meaning and without being considered incorrect by native speakers...
- Minimal pairMinimal pairIn phonology, minimal pairs are pairs of words or phrases in a particular language, which differ in only one phonological element, such as a phone, phoneme, toneme or chroneme and have distinct meanings...
- PhonemePhonemeIn a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
- SociolinguisticsSociolinguisticsSociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society...
- Variable rules analysis