An argument for the feature [dental

Abstract

Several well-known processes from English phonology which require reference to the alveolar obstruents (/t d s z/) are considered from the point of view of distinctive feature theory. It is argued that this natural class necessitates the feature [−dental] in order to account for the fact that dental fricatives (/ θ ð/) are inert. In conclusion, the cross-linguistic predictions of the present analysis are discussed.