Phonology and morphology glossary

High-frequency vibration above the upper frequency limit of normal human hearing.

Change in a vowel by which a back vowel becomes fronted when followed by another front vowel, e.g. tur - türchen 'door' in German or foot - feet (Engl. > earlier footiz) (cf. ablaut, vowel harmony).

See privative.

Term that refers to the use of a word to refer to only a subset of its actual referents. For example, a child might underextend the word dog by using it to refer to more typical examples of the species such as golden or Labrador retrievers, but not to varieties like Chihuahua or Pekingese. Contrast overextension.

Pertaining to the initial state in a phonological derivation; the phonological facts holding of a word or morpheme before phonological rules cause changes.

In phonology, the theory that segments, in underlying representation, are not necessarily specified for all values of all distinctive features.

The innate part of speakers’ grammatical knowledge.

The more neutral case of two or more. For example, the active voice is unmarked with respect to the passive in most languages. Contrasts with marked. See also markedness.

Of a vowel, produced without rounding of the lips. [i] and [a] are vowels examples of unrounded vowels.

See mid.