The binarity hypothesis in phonology: 1938–1985

Juana Gil
Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset, Madrid

This paper presents a short history of what has been one of the central hypotheses of phonological theory for many years. The binarity problem has been one of most discussed issues of distinctive feature theory since it was first formulated. In structural phonology (more precisely, the Jakobsonian system) binarism has always been a fundamental concept, and most phonological systems have been based on it. Similarly, all the underlying representations postulated in the SPE framework are thought of as being binary. In current phonology, however, the main interest of many investigators has moved to the suprasegmental level or to metrical phonology, and consequently, the binarity problem remains unresolved. There have been numerous and varied opinions regarding binarism in distinctive feature theory. Some authors argue that binarity proposals are not compatible with phenomena such as coarticulation, but others claim that the non-positivist nature of phonological analysis and the indisputable usefulness of binary features are arguments strong enough to maintain the hypothesis. Finally, other linguists (working from different perspectives) propose a somewhat more relaxed conception of binarity adopting its basic implications. It seems, therefore, time for a review of this classic problem in modern phonology. At the same time, it is also worth restating the question and trying to get some insight into it using the instrumental methods that phonetics provide. This seems to be the construct truly corresponding to the speaker’s mind.

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