Contrast and representations

Abstract A central concern in phonology and phonetics is the notion of “contrast”: how phonemes are distinguished from one another in underlying representations, how phonemic contrasts are realized or neutralized in production, and how they are perceived. Linguists who work on sound—sociophoneticians, laboratory phonologists, formal phonologists, etc.—do not engage with all of these problems to the same extent; the ways that contrast is theorized and used differ between groups of scholars, reflecting larger differences in research programs and empirical focus. Indeed, even among those focused on formal phonological theory, there is a disagreement over the status and importance of contrast, both representationally and in terms of how it relates to the grammar. This chapter will outline some of the variation in stances regarding contrast in phonology, and discuss how approaches to contrast in sociophonetics may help to shed light on outstanding questions in phonological theory.