The Non-Uniqueness of Phonemic Solutions of Phonetic Systems

Abstract

In reading current discussions on the transcription of sounds by phonemes, one gets the impression of a tacit assumption that given the sounds of one language, there will be one and only one way of reducing them to a system of phonemes which represent the sound-system correctly. Since different writers do not in fact agree in the phonemic treatment of the same language, there arise then frequent controversies over the ”correctness” or ”incorrectness” in the use of phonemes. The main purpose of the present paper is to show that given the sounds of a language, there are usually more than one possible way of reducing them to a system of phonemes, and that these different systems or solutions are not simply correct or incorrect, but may be regarded only as being good or bad for various purposes.

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