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{{short description|Set of sounds in a language sharing certain distinctive features}}
In [[phonology]], a '''natural class''' is a set of [[phoneme]]s in a [[language]] that share certain [[distinctive feature]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|title = English Phonology: An Introduction|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ALJKvQWP8FAC|publisher = Cambridge University Press|date = 1992-10-15|isbn = 9780521336031|language = en|first = Heinz J.|last = Giegerich}}</ref> A natural class is determined by participation in shared [[phonological process]]es, described using the minimum number of features necessary for descriptive adequacy.
==Overview==
The class of voiceless stops is described by two features: [-[[continuant]]] and [-[[voice (phonetics)|voice]]]. This means that any sound with both the feature [-continuant] (not able to be pronounced continuously) and the feature [-voice] (not pronounced with vibration of the vocal chords) is included in the class. This correctly describes all voiceless stops and does not describe any sounds besides voiceless stops.▼
Classes are defined by distinctive features having reference to [[Articulatory phonetics|articulatory]] and [[Acoustic phonetics|acoustic]] phonetic properties,<ref>{{Cite book|title = Phonological Studies|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AE1djAYnwmQC|publisher = Walter de Gruyter|date = 2002-01-01|isbn = 9783110173628|language = en|first = Roman|last = Jakobson}}</ref> including [[Manner of articulation|manners of articulation]], [[Place of articulation|places of articulation]], [[Voice (phonetics)|voicing]], and [[Continuant|continuance]]. For example, the set containing the sounds {{IPA|/p/}}, {{IPA|/t/}}, and {{IPA|/k/}} is a natural class of [[voicelessness|voiceless]] [[stop consonant|stop]]s in American Standard English. This class is one of several other classes, including the [[voiced]] stops (/b/, /d/, and /g/), voiceless [[Fricative consonant|fricatives]] (/f/, /θ/, /s/, /ʃ/, and /h/), [[sonorant]]s, and [[vowel]]s.
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By implication, the class is also described as ''not'' having the features [+continuant] or [+voice]. This means that all sounds with either the feature [+continuant] (able to be lengthened in pronunciation) or [+voice] (pronounced with vibration of the vocal chords) are excluded from the class. This excludes all natural classes of sounds besides voiceless stops. For instance, it excludes voiceless fricatives, which have the feature [+continuant], voiced stops, which have the feature [+voice], and [[liquid consonant|liquid]]s and [[vowel]]s, which have the features [+continuant] and [+voice].▼
▲By implication, the class is also described as ''not'' having the features [+continuant] or [+voice]. This means that all sounds with either the feature [+continuant] (able to be lengthened in pronunciation) or [+voice] (pronounced with vibration of the vocal
Voiceless stops also have other features, such as [+consonantal] and [-lateral], that are not added to the description of the class and are unnecessary, since the features [-continuant] and [-voice] already include all voiceless stops and exclude all other sounds.▼
▲Voiceless stops also have other, redundant, features, such as [+consonantal] and [-[[Lateral consonant|lateral]
In addition, members of a natural class will behave similarly in the same phonetic environment, and will have a similar effect on sounds that occur in their environment.▼
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== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natural Class}}
[[Category:Phonology]]
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