In contrast with zero segments we may consider a technique which is in some ways its converse: the voiding of elements (i.e. replacing an element by zero). The setting up of a zero segment had regularized the class involved, i.e. had made its distribution similar to that of some other class. To effect this, a portion of speech containing no segment or no change of segments, is represented by a linguistic element. Conversely, there may be situations in which we wish to say that a portion of speech which contains an observed segment is represented by absence of a linguistic element. That is, we may take a non-empty stretch of speech and say that it has no independent descriptive status is in itself represented by no linguistic element, i.e. by a voided, or zero, element. All the cases in which this can be done are cases of partial independence, and the effect of this technique is to change these to cases of complete independence.
- Harris (1951), a pag.337