ABSTRACT
The theory of distinctive features is based on the premise that the phonemes of a language can be analysed or broken down into a small number of components or features, these being the minimal elements from which the phonemes are built up. The traditional analysis of speech sounds has always had an articulatory basis. Because the articulation of consonants differs so markedly from that of vowels, the terms used for each have usually been quite distinct. The advantage of the traditional features, which are still used and which form the basis of many of the generative distinctive features, is that they are straightforwardly phonetic, they relate directly to the articulation of the sound, when they are used in descriptions of processes, their 'naturalness' is self-evident. The advantage of the traditional features, is that they are straightforwardly phonetic, they relate directly to the articulation of the sound, when they are used in descriptions of processes, their 'naturalness' is self-evident.
