Phonology: Major, Place, and Manner Classes 1.1
This exercise is designed to give you practice with categorizing phonemes based on shared features, which is preparation for learning to build natural classes. (Height, backness, tense/lax, and round are the features used for categorizing vowels.) For each question, select the list of phonemes in Standard English that are described by the classes/features.
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Question 1 |
[+ant] [+cont] [+strident]
A | [v, ð] Hint: Only [v, z] are [+ant] [+cont] [+strident]. [ð] is [-strident]. |
B | [v, h] Hint: Only [v, z] are [+ant] [+cont] [+strident]. [h] is [-strident].
|
C | [v, z] |
Question 1 Explanation:
[f, v, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ] are strident sounds in Standard English.
anterior |
dorsal |
||||||||||
coronal |
radical |
||||||||||
labials |
post-alveolar |
||||||||||
| bilabial | labiodertal | dental | alveolar | retoroflex | palato-alveclar | palatal | velar | uvular | phanyngeal | epiglottal | glottal |
| +high | +high | +high | |||||||||
| +back | +back | +back | |||||||||
| +low | +low | [+low] | |||||||||
Question 2 |
[+back] [tense]
A | [u, o] |
B | [u, ɔ] Hint: Only [u, o] are [+back] [tense]. [ɔ] is lax. |
C | [a, ɔ] Hint: Only [u, o] are [+back] [tense]. [a, ɔ] are both lax. |
Question 2 Explanation:
Lax vowels are shaded.


Question 3 |
[-cont] [+dors]
A | [k, g, ŋ] |
B | [k, g, h] Hint: Only [k, g, ŋ] [-cont] [+dors] [h] is glottal and a fricative thus [+cont] and [-dors]. |
C | [k, g, ʔ] Hint: Only [k, g, ŋ] are [-cont] [+dors]. [ʔ] is glottal thus [-dors]. |
Question 3 Explanation:
anterior |
dorsal |
||||||||||
coronal |
radical |
||||||||||
labials |
post-alveolar |
||||||||||
| bilabial | labiodertal | dental | alveolar | retoroflex | palato-alveclar | palatal | velar | uvular | phanyngeal | epiglottal | glottal |
| +high | +high | +high | |||||||||
| +back | +back | +back | |||||||||
| +low | +low | [+low] | |||||||||
Question 4 |
[+cor] [+ant] [+cont]
A | [s, z] |
B | [z, f] Hint: Only [s, z] are [+cor] [+ant] [+cont]. [f] is [-cor]. |
C | [s, tʃ]
Hint: Only [s, z] are [+cor] [+ant] [+cont]. [tʃ] is [-cont]. |
Question 4 Explanation:
anterior |
dorsal |
||||||||||
coronal |
radical |
||||||||||
labials |
post-alveolar |
||||||||||
| bilabial | labiodertal | dental | alveolar | retoroflex | palato-alveclar | palatal | velar | uvular | phanyngeal | epiglottal | glottal |
| +high | +high | +high | |||||||||
| +back | +back | +back | |||||||||
| +low | +low | [+low] | |||||||||
Question 5 |
[+cor] [+dors]
A | [ʃ, f, s] Hint: Only [ʃ, ʧ] are [+cor] [+dors]. [f,s] are anterior thus [-high]. |
B | [ʃ, ʧ, t] Hint: Only [ʃ, ʧ] are [+cor] [+dors]. [t] is alveolar thus [-high]. |
C | [ʃ, ʧ, ʒ] |
Question 5 Explanation:
anterior |
dorsal |
||||||||||
coronal |
radical |
||||||||||
labials |
post-alveolar |
||||||||||
| bilabial | labiodertal | dental | alveolar | retoroflex | palato-alveclar | palatal | velar | uvular | phanyngeal | epiglottal | glottal |
| +high | +high | +high | |||||||||
| +back | +back | +back | |||||||||
| +low | +low | [+low] | |||||||||
Question 6 |
[-son] [+cont]
A | nasals Hint: Only fricatives are [-son] [+cont]. Affricates are [-con]. |
B | affricates
Hint: Only fricatives are [-son] [+cont]. Nasals are [-con]. |
C | fricatives |
Question 6 Explanation:
Nasals are not produced with continual airflow through the oral cavity thus are [-con].
Question 7 |
[+back] [lax]
A | [ʌ, ə, ɔ, ɛ, a] Hint: Only [ʌ, ə, ɔ, a, ʊ] are [+back] [lax]. [ɛ] is [-back]. |
B | [ʌ, ə, ɔ, a, u] Hint: Only [ʌ, ə, ɔ, a, ʊ] are [+back] [lax]. [u] is [tense]. |
C | [ʌ, ə, ɔ, a, ʊ]
|
Question 7 Explanation:
We are only distinguishing between [-back] and [+back], central vowels belonging to the latter group.
Lax vowels are shaded.


Question 8 |
[-son] [-cont]
A | Stops/plosives |
B | Fricatives Hint: Only ‘stops’ are [-son] [-cont]. Fricatives are [+cont]. |
C | Nasals Hint: Only ‘stops’ are [-son] [-cont]. Nasals are [+son]. |
Question 8 Explanation:
Nasals are not produced with continual airflow through the oral cavity thus are [-con].
Question 9 |
[+cor] [+dors]
A | [ʃ, tʃ, ʒ, dʒ]
|
B | [t, tʃ, d, dʒ] Hint: Only [ʃ, tʃ, ʒ, dʒ] are [+cor] [+dors]. [t, d] are [-dors]. |
C | [θ, ð, ʃ, ʒ] Hint: Only [ʃ, tʃ, ʒ, dʒ] are [+cor] [+dors]. [θ, ð] are [-cor, -dors]. |
Question 9 Explanation:
anterior |
dorsal |
||||||||||
coronal |
radical |
||||||||||
labials |
post-alveolar |
||||||||||
| bilabial | labiodertal | dental | alveolar | retoroflex | palato-alveclar | palatal | velar | uvular | phanyngeal | epiglottal | glottal |
| +high | +high | +high | |||||||||
| +back | +back | +back | |||||||||
| +low | +low | [+low] | |||||||||
Question 10 |
[+dors] [-voice]
A | [ʃ, ʧ, g] Hint: Only [ʃ, ʧ, k] are [+dors] [-voice]. [g] is [+voice]. |
B | [ʃ, k, h]
Hint: Only [ʃ, ʧ, k] are [+dors] [-voice]. [h] is glottal thus [-dors]. |
C | [ʃ, ʧ, k] |
Question 10 Explanation:
anterior |
dorsal |
||||||||||
coronal |
radical |
||||||||||
labials |
post-alveolar |
||||||||||
| bilabial | labiodertal | dental | alveolar | retoroflex | palato-alveclar | palatal | velar | uvular | phanyngeal | epiglottal | glottal |
| +high | +high | +high | |||||||||
| +back | +back | +back | |||||||||
| +low | +low | [+low] | |||||||||
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