Systematic Phonemics

系统音位学

A level of representation in generative phonology which sets up a single underlying form capable of accounting for the phonological variations which relate grammatical structures (e.g. words). In such pairs of words as divine ~ divinity, obscene ~ obscenity, there is plainly a regular relationship of some kind, but it is not an easy relationship to state explicitly. Chonsky and Halle, in their approach to this problem, argue that the root morpheme in each pair of words can be given a single underlying representation, and that this, along with the rules which relate such representations to the surface alternants, accounts for the native-speaker’s awareness of the ‘systematic’ relationship which exist between grammar and phonology. (Such rules also often reflect sound changes which have taken place in the history of the language.) The units in these representations are referred to as systematic phonemes, as opposed to the ‘autonomous’ phonemes of traditional phonemic phonology, which are established without reference to grammatical structure. Some generative phonologists (such as Chomsky and Halle) prefer the term ‘phonological’ to refer to this level representation, because of the undesirable associations of the term ‘phonemic’ with traditional phonemic theory.

生成音系学的一个表征层面，这个层面建立单一的底层形式，能用来说明与各种语法结构（例如词）相关的音系变化。例如在divine“神的”~divinity“神性”，obsene“猥亵的”~obsenity“猥亵”这样成对的词中，显然存在某种有规律的关联，但又很难明确说明这种关联。乔姆斯基和哈勒在解决这个问题时认为，每对词中的根语素可指派单一的底层表征式，这个表征式和将其与表层交替形式相联系的规则一起，能对操本族语者对存在于语法和音系学之间的“系统”关联的语感做出说明。（这类规则经常也反应语言历史上发生的语音演变。）这些表征式的单位称作系统音位，以区别于传统音位音系学的“自主”音位，后者的确定无需参照语法结构。有的生成音系学家（如乔姆斯基和哈勒）喜欢用“音系的”指这个表征层，因为“音位的”一词使人联想到不可取的传统音位理论。