phonological features
[/fəˌnɒlədʒɪkəl ˈfiːtʃərz/]
nounpl: phonological features
características fonológicas
1. Distinctive units or properties of sounds in a language that serve to differentiate meaning, such as voicing, nasality, place of articulation, and manner of articulation.
The phonological features of English include the distinction between voiced and voiceless consonants.
As características fonológicas do inglês incluem a distinção entre consoantes sonoras e surdas.
2. The smallest units of sound that distinguish one word from another in a given language.
In Portuguese, the phonological features [+nasal] and [-nasal] distinguish words like 'pão' and 'pão'.
Em português, as características fonológicas [+nasal] e [-nasal] distinguem palavras como 'pão' e 'pó'.
3. In linguistics, abstract properties used to describe and analyze the sound system of a language.
Linguists use binary features to represent phonological features in generative phonology.
Linguistas usam traços binários para representar características fonológicas na fonologia gerativa.
This is primarily an academic and linguistic term used in universities and linguistic research across English and Portuguese-speaking countries. It is fundamental to generative phonology and feature-based phonological theory developed by Jakobson and Chomsky. The concept is taught similarly in Brazilian, Portuguese, and American linguistic curricula, making it a truly international linguistic term with minimal regional variation in usage.
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →