theoretical linguistics Theoretical linguistics is a term in linguistics that, like the related term general linguistics, can be understood in different ways. Both can be taken as a reference to the theory of language, or the branch of linguistics that inquires into the ...

, underspecification is a phenomenon in which certain

feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature recognition, could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (machine learning), in statistics: individual measurable properties of the phenome ...

s are omitted in

underlying representation In some models of phonology as well as morphophonology in the field of linguistics, the underlying representation (UR) or underlying form (UF) of a word or morpheme is the abstract form that a word or morpheme is postulated to have before any ph ...

s. Restricted underspecification theory holds that features should only be underspecified if their values are predictable. For example, in most dialects of English, all

front vowel A front vowel is a class of vowel sounds used in some spoken languages, its defining characteristic being that the highest point of the tongue is positioned approximately as far forward as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction th ...

s () are

unrounded In phonetics, vowel roundedness is the amount of rounding in the lips during the articulation of a vowel. It is labialization of a vowel. When a ''rounded'' vowel is pronounced, the lips form a circular opening, and ''unrounded'' vowels are pron ...

. It is not necessary for these

phoneme A phoneme () is any set of similar Phone (phonetics), speech sounds that are perceptually regarded by the speakers of a language as a single basic sound—a smallest possible Phonetics, phonetic unit—that helps distinguish one word fr ...

s to include the

distinctive feature In linguistics, a distinctive feature is the most basic unit of phonology, phonological structure that distinguishes one Phone (phonetics), sound from another within a language. For example, the feature

Voice (phonetics), voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound productio ...

''distinguishes ...

��round because all ��backvowels are ��roundvowels, so the roundness feature is not distinctive for front vowels. Radical underspecification theory, on the other hand, also allows for traditionally binary features to be specified for only one value, where it is assumed that every segment not specified for that value has the other value. For example, instead of the features

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound produ ...

and ��voice only

is specified and voicelessness is taken as the default. The concept of underspecification is also used in morphological theory, particularly to refer to cases in which a morpheme does not bear an entire set of feature-values, and is thus compatible with a wide range of potential morphological environments. In this approach to morphology, for example, while the English pronouns ''he'' vs. ''she'' are specified for gender, the plural pronoun ''they'' would be underspecified for gender.

Example of underspecification in phonology

In Tuvan, phonemic vowels are specified with the articulatory features of tongue height, backness, and lip rounding. The

archiphoneme A phoneme () is any set of similar speech sounds that are perceptually regarded by the speakers of a language as a single basic sound—a smallest possible phonetic unit—that helps distinguish one word from another. All languages con ...

/I/ is an underspecified high vowel where only the tongue height is specified. : Whether /I/ is pronounced as front or back and whether rounded or unrounded depends on

vowel harmony In phonology, vowel harmony is a phonological rule in which the vowels of a given domain – typically a phonological word – must share certain distinctive features (thus "in harmony"). Vowel harmony is typically long distance, meaning tha ...

. If /I/ occurs following a front unrounded vowel, it will be pronounced as the phoneme ; if /I/ occurs following a front rounded vowel, it is pronounced as ; if following a back unrounded vowel, it will be as an ; and if following a back rounded vowel, it will be an . This can be seen in the following words: :

Underspecification in morphology

Underspecification in

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

uses feature decomposition to create abstract, binary features that allow for the creation of natural classes in relation to morphology. In

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, there are three classes of gender. These are

feminine Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and Gender roles, roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there is also s ...

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some beh ...

, and neuter. From this breakdown of German gender features, underspecification theory derives the following definitions of gender using a cross classification of the gender features �mascand �fem
In the underspecification theory, the

dative In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob a drink". In this exampl ...

singular marker ''-em'' is characterized by an underspecified gender marking ( fem. This would allow for a single morphological exponent to be referred to by one set of underspecified features. Take for example, the determiner ''dem'', which can occur in masculine and neuter contexts in the dative singular. By allowing the underspecification of the feminine feature, ''dem'' is free to appear in both the masculine and neuter contexts, but not the feminine context. This contrasts the traditional view, in which there are two separate but homophonous forms of ''dem'', in which ''dem₁'' contains the full gender specification fem, +mascand ''dem₂'' contains the full gender specification fem, - masc

Bibliography

* * * * *

References

{{Reflist Grammar Structuralism nl:Onderspecificatie

Example of underspecification in phonology

Underspecification in morphology

See also

Bibliography

References