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Types of Distribution

There are three types of distribution:
  1. Contrastive distribution
  2. Complementary distribution
  3. Free variation

Contrastive Distribution:

In phonology, two sounds of a language are said to be in contrastive distribution if replaciing one with the other in the same phonological environment results in a change in meaning. If a sound is in contrastive distribution, it is considered a phoneme in that language. For example, in English, the sounds [p] and [b] can both occur word-initially, as in the words pat and bat (minimal pairs), which are distinct morphemes. Therefore, [p] and [b] are contrastive distribution and so are phonemes of English.

Complementary Distribution:

  • Variants of a phoneme that never occur in the same phonetic environment. e.g. voiced [l] as in slip [slIp] and voiceless [l] as in clap [klæp]. Environment is the phonetic context in which a sound occurs.
  • Complementary distribution is the distribution of phones in their respective phonetic environment in which one never appears in the same phonetic context as the other. Complementary distribution is commonly applied to phonology in which similar phones in complementary distribution are usually allophones of the same phoneme. For instance in English, [p] and [ph] are allophones of same phoneme /p/.  [ph] occurs in when it is the syllable onset and followed by a stressed vowel (as in word Pin ). [p] occurs in all other situations.

Free variation:

Free variation is the interchangeable relationship between two phones, in which the phones may substitute for one another in the same environment without causing a change in meaning. Free variation may occur between allophones or phonemes.
  • In the words either and neither "ei" can be pronounced as either /i:/ or /aɪ/.
  • The word data can be pronounced as either /ˈdeɪtə/ or  /ˈdɑːtə/

The clear 'l' and dark 'l':

The so-called "dark l" occurs at the end of words (call, trial etc.) and before consonants (milk, hold etc. ) The so-called  "clear l" or "light l" occurs before a vowel (lap, lord etc.) or before the glide /j/ (billiard, scallion etc.) Because in all English words which begin with 'l' the next sound is a vowel or glide, English words never start with a dark 'l'.

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