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The Phonemic Principle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

Morris Swadesh
Morris Swadesh*
Affiliation:
Yale University
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Extract

As basic as the phonemic principle is to linguistic science, it is only quite recently that it has had the serious attention of linguists. In studying the phonemes of Chitimacha (an Indian language of Louisiana) I knew of no single source from which I could learn to understand all the phenomena that I observed. There seemed to be a need for an adequate and complete exposition of the phonemic principle including, especially, an account of how it applies to the more marginal and difficult types of phenomena. I at first intended to include this discussion in my paper on the Chitimacha phonemes, but the wider interest of the general discussion makes it more appropriate that it be published separately. The specific treatment of Chitimacha, which can now appear without theoretical digessions, will serve to illustrate many of the points discussed here. I do not attempt to cite previous authors1 on all of the points treated in this paper, though I recognize fully my dependence on them. On a few points my treatment attempts to avoid weaknesses in previous treatments, and a point or two are perhaps introduced here for the first time. However, the chief ideals of this paper are theoretical comprehensiveness, consistency of treatment, and brevity.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 10 , Issue 2-Part1 , June 1934 , pp. 117 - 129
Copyright
Copyright © 1934 Linguistic Society of America

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References

1 The principal works consulted were:

Bloomfield, Language, Chaps. 5-8. New York: Henry Holt., 1933.

Jones, 'On Phonemes', Travaux du cerrle linguistique de Prague 4.74-9; 'Projet de terminologie phonologique standardisé', op. cit. 4.309-22.

Sapir, 'Sound Patterns in Language', Language 1.37-51. 'La realité psychologique du phonème', Journal de psychologie 30.247 255.

Troubetzkoy, 'Zur allgemeinen Theorie der phonologischen Vokalsysteme', Travaux du cercle ling. l.39-66.

'Die phonologischen Systeme', op. cit. 96-115.

Ulaszyn, 'Laut, Phonema, Morphonema', op. cit. 4.53–61.

I am most dirertly indebted to Professor Sapir, as my teacher, for my understanding of the phonemic principle. The present paper has benefited by discussion with him and with my colleagues Dr. Stanley Newman, Dr. George Herzog, and Mrs. Mary Haas Swadesh.

2 Data on Tunica (an Indian language of Louisiana) were supplied by Mary Haas Swadesh.

3 I have this information from Professor Hans Kurath, director of the Linguistic Atlas of the United States and Canada.

4 Observed by Dr. Lowman for the Linguistic Atlas, and mentioned in his paper 'Regional Differences in Virginian Speech', read at the tenth annual meeting of the Linguistic Society of America.

5 I owe this information to Dr. Lowman. The interchange was observed, for example, in one of his informants at Rockport, Massachusetts.

6 See Jacobs, 'A sketch of Northwest Sahaptin Grammar', Univ. of Washington Publications in Anthropology 4.85-292.

7 See the papers of Sapir and Troubetzkoy cited above.

8 An ideal working out of this principle would give us a phonemic 'visible speech' in which each phonemic sign would be a composite of elements each of which would represent one of the class, sub-class, and cross-class differentiae or sets of differentiae of the phoneme. However, such an orthography might prove impractical for other reasons.

9 and represent long and respectively.

10 See pp. 118-9.

11 This important incidental value of phonemics was called to my attention by Professor Sapir.

12 Of course there are instances where it is desirable to use non-phonemic diacritical marks as a special aid to non-native students.