American Journal Of Philological Sciences
239
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue04 2025
PAGE NO.
239-241
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue04-61
Theoretical Foundations of The Study of Segmental
Units in Linguistics
O‘rinboyeva Guluzro Dushayevna
Andijan state institute of foreign languages, teacher, Department: Theoretical aspects of the English language, Uzbekistan
Received:
25 February 2025;
Accepted:
21 March 2025;
Published:
24 April 2025
Abstract:
This article covers the concept of segmental units, their place in linguistics, and their analysis from the
perspective of phonetic and phonological approaches. Also, based on structuralism and distribution approaches,
the classification and functional features of segment units are considered. Based on scientific sources, attention
is also paid to the stages of formation and development of the theory of segment units.
Keywords:
Phonetics, stylistics, segment, branch, aspects, articulation, phonology, speech.
Introduction:
Human expresses their psyche, mood,
attitude towards others and reality directly through
language, speech. He strives to make the expression
clear, understandable, and effective. Due to this need,
various ways of using language in the speech process
have been discovered. For the correct and complete
delivery of information, the speaker tries different
ways of connecting speech fragments in the speech
process. One of such methods is the transmission of
speech into parts, fragments, and in linguistics this
method led to the emergence of the phenomenon of
segmentation.
METHOD
Segmental units have been widely studied in European
linguistics, in particular, in Russian linguistics. Starting
from the 60s of the last century, views on specific
devices that were initially widely used in oral speech
and later transitioned to written speech began to be
illuminated. Prominent representatives of European
linguistics,
such
as
Sh.Bally,
A.M.Peshkovsky,
A.S.Pepov,
G.Akimova,
N.S.Valgina,
conducted
research on segmental constructions. While the views
on segmental constructions were first observed in the
works of Sh.Bally, their specific features and
differences from other phenomena were discussed by
the Russian linguist A.M.Peshkovsky, and syntactic-
semantic features by A.S.Pepov [1].
From the 60s of the 20th century, the term "expressive
syntax" appeared in linguistics. The main function of
expressive devices is not only to express information,
but also to direct the addresser's attention to a certain
event, phenomenon, object, to hold attention to that
object, to distinguish it from others, to emphasize it.
The first views on segmental constructions in Uzbek
linguistics are found in the dissertation of A.Gafurov,
who studied nominal sentences in the Uzbek language.
Although the scientist did not call the phenomenon by
this exact name, he spoke about the stylistic features of
the units corresponding to this device. Information
about the nature, origin, and appearance of segmental
structures is given in the article of A.Akhmedov [2].
In Uzbek linguistics, views on pragmalinguistics were
first presented in the works of A.Nurmonov,
N.Mahmudov, D.Lutfullaev, while the research of
Sh.Safarov, M.Hakimov, S.Boymirzayeva, A.Pardayev,
M.Kurbanova serves as a theoretical basis for future
work in this direction. Nevertheless, to date, the
linguopragmatic features of segmental constructions in
Uzbek linguistics have not been specifically studied in a
monographic plan.
In linguistics, sound units are divided into two -
segmental and suprasegmental units. Segmental units
are the smallest independent sound units in language,
which are manifested on the basis of sequence in the
linear flow of speech. Their nature and function are
among the main objects of research in phonetics and
phonology.
Segmental units are units that stand out in a linear
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
240
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
speech flow, are expressed in the form of sounds, and
have a meaning-differentiating function. They mainly
consist of vowels and consonants. The phonetic
features of segmented units study the real sounds
produced by speech organs, and the phonological
aspects study their function in the phonemic system.
The phonetic approach considers segmental units as
real, physical sounds. In this regard, their articulatory,
acoustic, and aerodynamic properties are important.
The phonological approach interprets segmental units
in the form of phonemes, i.e., units belonging to an
abstract system and possessing the property of
semantic differentiation. In phonology, one phoneme
can manifest itself in various phonetic realizations - in
the form of allophones.
Representatives of the structuralist movement, in
particular N. S. Trubetskoy and R. Jakobson, took a
systematic and oppositional approach to segmental
units. According to Trubetskoy, the presence of each
phoneme in a phonological system is determined based
on its distinctive features compared to other
phonemes. Jakobson and Halle analyzed phonological
features based on distinctive features.
In the distribution approach, segment units are
analyzed based on their positioning. This approach was
developed by L. Bloomfield, who emphasizes that
phonemes can be identified based on their
interchangeability and fusion. Through distribution
analysis, the system of phonemes is determined, and
the differentiating relationships between them are
revealed [3].
Segmental units are linear (sequential) sound units, and
each sound is considered an independent segment.
Suprasegmental units (intonation, stress, tempo,
intonation) affect the entire phrase or sentence. They
are located on segmental units and determine the
emotional, pragmatic functions of speech.
Phonetics is itself divided into two major components:
segmental phonetics, which is concerned with
individual sounds (i.e. "segments" of speech) and
suprasegmental phonetics whose domain is the larger
units of connected speech: syllables, words, phrases
and texts. The way these elements of the phonetic
structure of English function in the process of
communication will be the main concern of this course.
The description of the phonetic structure of English will
be based on the so called Received Pronunciation.
We all agree that we are to study the "norm" of English,
as a whole, and the "norm" of English pronunciation in
particular. There is no much agreement, however, as
far as the term "norm" is concerned. This term is
interpreted in different ways. Some scholars, for
instance, associate "norm" with the so-called "neutral"
style. According to this conception stylistically marked
parameters do not belong to the norm. More suitable,
however, seems to be the conception put forward by Y.
Screbnev, who looks upon the norm as a complex of all
functional styles. We shall give priority to the second
point of view as it is clearly not possible to look upon
the pronunciation norm as something ideal which does
not, in fact, exist in objective speech. We shall look
upon the norm as a complex unity of phonetic styles
realized in the process of communication in accordance
with varying extralinguistic and social factors [4].
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The phonetic system of language is a set of phonetic
units arranged in an orderly way to replace each other
in a given framework. Phonetics is divided into two
major components (or systems): segmental phonetics,
which is concerned with individual sounds (i.e.
"segments" of speech) and suprasegmental phonetics
dealing with the larger units of connected speech:
syllables, words, phrases and texts.
1. Segmental units are sounds of speech (vowels and
consonants) which form the vocalic and consonantal
systems;
2. Suprasegmental, or prosodic, units are syllables,
stress, intonation groups and utterances. Now we may
define phonetics as a branch of linguistics that studies
speech sounds in the broad sense, comprising
segmental sounds, suprasegmental units and prosodic
phenomena (pith, stress, tempo, rhythm, pauses).
As we know the phoneme is the main unit of the
segmental units of phonetics. There are several
definitions of the phoneme in phonetics which were
given by different linguists. So they differ from one
another in a slightly way. Let`s take some of definitions
of the phoneme as an example: L.V.Shcherba: the
phoneme may be viewed as a functional, material and
abstract unit. V.A.Vassilyev: The phoneme is a smallest
unit capable of distinguishing one word from another
word, one grammatical form of word from another
Bloch: phoneme is a class of phonemically similar
sounds contrasting and mutually exclusive with all
similar classes in the language Jacobson: phoneme is a
minimal sound by which meaning may be
discriminated.
And now, let us consider the phoneme from the point
of view of its three aspects.
1. The phoneme is a functional unit. Function is usually
understood to mean discriminatory function, that is,
the role of the various components of the phonetic
system of the language in distinguishing one
morpheme from another, one word from another or
also one utterance from another. The opposition of
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
241
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
phonemes in the same phonetic environment
differentiates the meaning of morphemes and words,
e.g. said
—
says, sleeper
—
sleepy, bath
—
path, light
—
like. Also phoneme can fulfill a distinctive function -
Sometimes the opposition of phonemes serves to
distinguish the meaning of the whole phrases, e.g. He
was heard badly
—
He was hurt badly.
2. The phoneme is material, real and objective. That
means that it is realized in speech in the form of speech
sounds, its allophones. The sets of speech sounds, that
is the allophones belonging to the same phoneme are
not identical in their articulatory content though there
remains some phonetic similarity between them.
English phoneme [d] when not affected by the
articulation of the preceding or following sounds is a
plosive, fore-lingual apical, alveolar, lenis stop. This is
how it sounds in isolation or in such words as door,
darn, down, etc., when it retains its typical articulatory
characteristics. In this case the consonant [d] is called
the principal allophone. The allophones which do not
undergo any distinguishable changes in the chain of
speech are called principal. At the same time there are
quite predictable changes in the articulation of
allophones that occur under the influence of the
neighbouring sounds in different phonetic situations.
Such allophones are called subsidiary, [d] is slightly
palatalized before front vowels and the sonorant [j],
e.g. deal, day, did, did you. [d] is pronounced without
any plosion before another stop,. e.g. bedtime, bad
pain, good dog; it is pronounced with the nasal plosion
before the nasal sonorants [n] and [m], e.g. sudden,
admit, could not, could meet; the plosion is lateral
before the lateral sonorant [l], e.g. middle, badly, bad
light. The alveolar position is particularly sensitive to
the influence of the place of articulation of a following
consonant. Thus followed by [r] the consonant [d]
becomes post alveolar, e.g. dry, dream; followed by the
interdental [θ], [ð] it becomes dental, e.g. breadth, lead
the way, good thing. When [d] is followed by the labial
[w] it becomes labialized, e.g. dweller. In the initial
position [d] is partially devoiced, e.g. dog, dean; in the
intervocalic position or when followed by a sonorant it
is fully voiced, e.g. order, leader, driver; in the word
final position it is voiceless, e.g. road, raised, old. These
modifications of the phoneme [d] are quite sufficient to
demonstrate the articulatory difference between its
allophones, though the list of them could be easily
extended. If you consider the production of the
allophones of the phoneme above you will find that
they possess three articulatory features in common, all
of them are forelingual lenis stops [6].
CONCLUSION
Consequently, though allophones of the same
phoneme possess similar articulatory features they
may
frequently
show
considerable
phonetic
differences. Allophones are arranged into functionally
similar groups, that is groups of sounds in which the
members of each group are opposed to one another,
but are opposable to members of any other group to
distinguish meanings in otherwise similar sequences.
Segmental units have important theoretical and
practical significance in linguistics. Through their
phonetic and phonological analysis, the sound system
of the language, interphonemic relations, and the
structure of speech are deeply analyzed. The
combination of theoretical approaches (structuralism,
distribution, phonology) contributes to a deeper
understanding of segmented units.
REFERENCES
Bloomfield, L. (1933). Language. New York: Henry Holt.
Crystal, D. (2008). A Dictionary of Linguistics and
Phonetics (6th ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Jakobson, R., & Halle, M. (1956). Fundamentals of
Language. The Hague: Mouton.
Johnson, K. (2003). Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics
(2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell.
Ladefoged, P., & Maddieson, I. (1996). The Sounds of
the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell.
Roach, P. (2009). English Phonetics and Phonology (4th
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Trubetskoy, N. S. (1969). Principles of Phonology.
Berkeley: University of California Press.
G.O’rinboyeva. Tildagi segment birliklar haqida umumiy
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