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complementary distribution
This term is a technical linguistic concept used specifically in phonology to describe the relationship between allophones. It describes a strict binary or multi-way split where the presence of one sound predicts the absence of another in a specific environment, ensuring there is no overlap in their occurrence.
Because this is a specialized scientific term, it is almost exclusively used in academic or professional linguistic contexts. It is distinct from contrastive distribution, where two sounds can occur in the same environment to create a difference in meaning between words.
Ý nghĩa
A relationship between two or more allophones of a single phoneme where the sounds occur in mutually exclusive environments, meaning no two of them ever appear in the same phonetic context.
The aspirated [pʰ] and unaspirated [p] in English are in complementary distribution because [pʰ] only occurs at the beginning of a stressed syllable.