A descriptive features class consists of one or more descriptive features (for example, Aspirated, Bilabial, Plosive). In a search pattern, a descriptive features class can match one phone.
If you add or modify a descriptive features class in the Classes dialog box, the Descriptive Features Class dialog box appears. You can do any of the following:
Modify the class name.
To add a feature, do one of the following until the check box is selected:
Click the check box at the left of the feature name.
Double-click the feature name.
To remove a feature, do one of the following until the check box is cleared:
Click the check box at the left of the feature name.
Double-click the feature name.
To determine how a class matches a phone, do one of the following:
To require all the features to match a phone, click Match All Selected Features.
To require at least one feature to match a phone, click Match Any Selected Features.
In the Members box:
Square brackets surround each feature in the class. For example, [Aspirated]
Square brackets surround all the features if you click Match All Selected Features. The features are not separated by commas. For example, [[Aspirated][Bilabial][Plosive]]
Braces surround all the features if you click Match Any Selected Features. The features are separated by commas. For example, {[Aspirated],[Bilabial],[Plosive]}
The Consonants, Vowels, and Other Phones lists display all the phones in the open project. The class matches the phones that appear bold.
Phonology Assistant does not prevent you from adding linguistically illogical features to a class.