1. The attribute of a thing that makes it what it is, e.g., wings are on birds not cats. 2. Phonemics. The attribute of a speech sound that distinguishes from other speech sounds. See binary feature; minimal pair.
1. The attribute of a thing that makes it what it is, e.g., wings are on birds not cats. 2. Phonemics. The attribute of a speech sound that distinguishes from other speech sounds. See binary feature; minimal pair.