DISTINCTIVE FEATURE Definition & Meaning

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distinctive feature

noun

Linguistics.

a feature of the sound system of a language that serves as the crucial distinguishing mark between two phonemes, as the distinctive feature of voicing, which distinguishes b from p in English, or nasality, which distinguishes m from b and p.
any of a set of phonetic properties, as coronal, nasal, or strident, serving as a basic unit of phonological analysis by which the sounds that are significant in a language can be characterized and distinguished from one another.
a component or phonetic feature characterizing a phoneme.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of distinctive feature¹

First recorded in 1925–30

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Example Sentences

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Judge Capstick said a distinctive feature belonging to the teenager could be matched to the figure shown on the footage.

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BBC Verify has confirmed this was filmed at the north-western part of the town by matching distinctive features shown on satellite maps.

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The killings captured on such videos usually take place in woods or fields lacking distinctive features, which makes confirming their exact location difficult.

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We were able to locate the six videos we analysed, which were all filmed in the eastern side of Kherson, by identifying distinctive features in the city streets.

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Based on these distinctive features the astronomers involved in the study suggest that the stars were torn from the outskirts of galaxies and from the complete disruption of smaller cluster galaxies, known as dwarfs.

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