Distinktiva

Distinktiva is a term used in Indonesian-language linguistics to refer to distinctive features, the properties of sounds that distinguish one phoneme from another within a language’s phonological system. In this context, distinktiva are the binary or multi-valued attributes assigned to phonemes, such as voicing, place and manner of articulation, or nasalization, which together define contrasts in a language.

In practice, distinktiva are analyzed as features that can be either present or absent (and sometimes valued on a scale). Common examples include [+voice] versus [-voice], [+nasal] versus [-nasal], and [+rounded] versus [-rounded] for vowels. These features are organized in a feature geometry to capture relationships among sounds and to predict patterns of sound change and assimilation. The idea is that phonological systems are organized around a small set of universal or cross-linguistically common features rather than listing phonemes in isolation.

Historically, the notion of distinktiva aligns with the distinctive feature theory developed in the mid-20th century, notably by linguists such as Roman Jakobson, Noam Chomsky, and Morris Halle. The framework has influenced phonology, phonetics, and related fields, though analytic approaches have evolved with different formal models over time.

Distinktiva are used to describe language sound inventories, to analyze how contrasts are maintained or neutralized, and to explain phonological processes like assimilation and allophony. While the term is common in Indonesian discussions, the underlying concept is widely known in linguistic theory as distinctive features.