Which statement about distinctive features is true?

• A. They are auditory characteristics only
• B. They differentiate phonemes
• C. They are identical to phonemes
• D. They are irrelevant to phonology

Answer: (B)

Distinctive features are the building blocks that encode how phonemes differ from one another. They are abstract properties like [+voiced] vs. [-voiced], [+nasal] vs. [-nasal], or [+continuant] vs. [-continuant], which capture articulatory and perceptual properties that matter for contrast in a language. Two sounds form a phonemic contrast when they differ in at least one distinctive feature; for example, the pair p and b contrasts voicing, so one is [-voice] and the other [+voice]. Phonemes are the mental categories speakers store, while distinctive features are the properties that differentiate those categories. They’re not identical to phonemes, and they’re not just about what sounds sound like; they describe how sounds are built and how they contrast in phonology, explaining why certain sounds can distinguish words and how sound patterns arise.