Phonological Oppositions of Unstressed Vowels in The Uzbek Language

Radjabov Nasir Nasimovich

doi:10.47494/mesb.2021.15.693

Abstract

The research deals with the simple classification of phonological oppositions in relation to the unstressed vowels and also, the complex classification of phonological oppositions concerning both the stressed and unstressed vowels in the Uzbek language. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent of forming phonological oppositions of Uzbek vowel phonemes in the unstressed position and to classify the identified phonological oppositions. While carrying out of this study, a comparative method was used to compare vowel phonemes with each other, and a descriptive method was used to express their specific features. In the study, simple and complex classifications of phonological oppositions of Uzbek unstressed vowels have been developed. The study concludes that the phonological oppositions of vowels do not lose their significance in the unstressed positions and according to the simple classification, the unstressed vowels have 9 oppositions whose members are differentiated by one phonological feature, and 6 oppositions whose members are differentiated by two phonological features and according to the complex classification, unidimensional, pluridimensional, proportional, privative, gradual, equipolent and constant oppositions of unstressed vowels exist in modern Uzbek.

Highlights

Phonology, as a higher stage of phonetics, approaches speech sounds functionally and identifies their distinctive features
According to the phonetic classification, the phonemes /a, e, ı/ are unrounded, front vowels, and the phonemes /o, ό, u/ are rounded, back vowels in Uzbek. From this classification arises the following phonological oppositions, which are based on one distinctive feature, that is, the feature relating to the lip position: /a-o/, /e-o/, /ı-u/
The phonemes are distinguished by one of the following features: the vertical movement of the tongue or the lip position: /ı-u/, /e-o/, /a-o/ - unrounded-rounded oppositions; /ı-e/, /ı-a/, /e-a/, /o-u/, /o-o/, /u-o/ - the opposition based on the vertical movement of the tongue; b) the phonological oppositions based on two distinctive features

Summary

Introduction

As a higher stage of phonetics, approaches speech sounds functionally and identifies their distinctive features. Distinctive features are based on the articulatory-acoustic peculiarities of speech sounds. All the articulatory-acoustic peculiarities of speech sounds are the basis for the phonetic classification of speech sounds whereas some of those peculiarities are selected in the phonological classification. If the phonetic classification is based on all the articulatory-acoustic features of speech sounds, the phonological classification selects the main ones from these features, and focusing on their linguistic functions, it identifies their phonologically distinctive peculiarities [1, 59]. Types of phonological opposition are formed on the basis of distinctive features of phonemes and they are classified according to certain criteria. These criteria can be single or united in number.

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Conclusion