Contrast and Asymmetries in Inventories

One source of asymmetry in phonology derives from the contrastive function of features. I assume that feature specifications are driven by considerations of contrast. In order to distinguish between contrastive and redundant specifications, it is necessary to specify the relative scope, or ordering, of each feature. This ordering determines a contrastive hierarchy. Different contrastive hierarchies create different asymmetries in inventories, and thus different expectations as to how the system will pattern. I will briefly review the history of the contrastive hierarchy, and illustrate it with respect to synchronic and diachronic patterns in the vowel systems of the Manchu languages.