distinctive feature

American  

noun

Linguistics.

1. a feature of the sound system of a language that serves as the crucial distinguishing mark between two phonemes, as the distinctive feature of voicing, which distinguishes b from p in English, or nasality, which distinguishes m from b and p.

2. any of a set of phonetic properties, as coronal, nasal, or strident, serving as a basic unit of phonological analysis by which the sounds that are significant in a language can be characterized and distinguished from one another.

3. a component or phonetic feature characterizing a phoneme.

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Etymology

Origin of distinctive feature

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

"One of Monaco's distinctive features is a kind of positive secularism, which recognises the legitimate autonomy of the spiritual and temporal spheres," Guillaume Paris, a senior clergyman in Monaco, told AFP.

From Barron's

The man also had no jewellery or distinctive features like scars or tattoos.

From BBC

The researchers focused on front footprints, which consistently provided the clearest and most distinctive features.

From Science Daily

The figures’ long, elegant fingers are a distinctive feature of Bohemian Gothic art, as are the tight blond curls framing the round faces of Mary, Jesus and the angel.

From The Wall Street Journal

The finding suggests that this type of compositionality may be a distinctive feature of the prefrontal cortex.

From Science Daily