The Quantification of Functional Load
Charles F. Hockett · WORD · 1967
The Quantification of Functional Load 1 0 Introduction.Of the many pt:oblems in linguistics on which the work of A. Martinet has shed light, one of the most interesting is the notion of .functionalload(or yield or burden). 2 In simplest terms, the notion is this.The function of a phonemic system is to keep the utterances of a language apart.Sorne contrasts between the phonemes in a system apparently do more of this job than others.For instance, in English there are hundreds of pairs of words that differ only in that one has /P/ where the other has fb/ (pat:bat, nipp/e:nibble, cap:cab), but only a very few are kept apart by fs/ versus j'if (for sorne speakers mesher: measure; for sorne Asher: azure; for sorne Aleutian:allusion).Presumably, then, the contrast between /p/ and /b/ does more work even in complete utterances than does that between fs/ and fi/.At [east, it is easier to coin a pair of wh ole utterances such as Don't take that cap: Don't take that cab than it is to find one for fs/ and /z/, sim ply because there are more minimally different words of the first type.Martinet's concern with functional Joad has been with its possible relevance in linguistic change.Suppose, for example, that in a particular community the random drift of sound change 3 threatens to wipe out a contrast that carries a certain functional Joad.If that Joad is sufficiently high, is it possible that exigencies of communication would prevent the impending coalescence?How high must the Joad be for this effect?Or,