The distinctive and constitutive functions of segmental phonemes

The phoneme is a minimal abstract linguistic unit realized in speech in the form of speech sounds opposable to other phonemes of the same language to distinguish the meaning of morphemes and words. Shcherba was the first to define a phoneme as a real, independent, distinctive unit which manifests itself in the form of allophones. The professor Vasiliev developed this theory and presented a detailed definition of the phoneme in his book “English Phonetics”. He wrote that a phoneme is a dialectal unity of three aspects:

1) material, real, objective;

2) abstactional and generalized;

3) functional.

It serves to perform the following functions.

1. distinctive

2. constitutive

3. recognative

Firstly, the phoneme is a functional unit. In phonetics function is usually understood as a role of the various units of the phonetic system in distinguishing one morpheme from another, one word from another or one utterance from another. The opposition of phonemes in the same phonetic environment differentiates the meaning of morphemes and words: e.g. bath-path, light-like. Sometimes the opposition of phonemes serves to distinguish the meaning of the whole phrases: He was heard badly - He was hurt badly. Thus we may say that the phoneme can fulfill the distinctive function.

Secondly, the phoneme is material, real and objective. That means it is realized in speech in the form of speech sounds, its allophones. The phonemes constitute (составляют) the material form of morphemes, so this function may be called constitutive function.

Thirdly, the phoneme performs the recognative function, because the use of the right allophones and other phonetic units facilitates normal recognition. We may add that the phoneme is a material and objective unit as well as an abstract and generalized one at the same time.