Neutralization (phonology)
In phonology, neutralization is understood to be the "lifting of an opposition in a certain position" through a phonetic process.
Voiced obstacles at the end of a word in German are a good example . The opposition [± voiced] of the final consonant is neutralized in this position, since a voiced obstruent is realized voiceless due to the hardening of the final voice (e.g. [d] as [t]). The two utterances Mein Rat and Mein Rad are thus homophonic , since the voicing opposition was lifted.
The neutralization rule can be formulated as
C [+ voiced] → C [-voiced] | _ #
In a broader sense, neutralization rules can also be set up on other linguistic description levels.
literature
- Richard Wiese, The Phonology of German , Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.
Individual evidence
- ^ Metzler Lexicon Language. Edited by Helmut luck . 2., ext. Stuttgart, Weimar: Metzler 2000.