phono logical opposition which is defined as opposition between the
speech sounds serving to distinguish the meanings o f words. For
example:
/p -
tl - pool /pu:l/ - tool /tu:l/,
/1 — s/ — let /let/ - set /set/,
/г — 1/ — right /rait/ - light /lait/, etc.
The words used to illustrate the phonological oppositions
are known as
minimal pairs of words or guasyhomonyms (the
term suggested by L. V. Shcherba).
There is a classification o f phonological oppositions accord
ing to the relationship between the oppositions, between the
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members o f oppositions and the force o f oppositions'. This type
o f classification o f phonological oppositions is based on logic and
linguistic categorization o f phonetic data. Besides there is a prin
ciple of