| Lemma | formal distinction |
|---|---|
| Categoria grammaticale | N |
| Lingua | inglese |
| Sigla | Sapir (1921) |
| Titolo | Language |
| Sinonimi | |
| Rinvii | form (inglese) functional distinction (inglese) phonetic process (inglese) |
| Traduzioni | |
| Citazioni | There is still a third cause for the rise of [...] nonsignificant differences of form. This is the mechanical operation of phonetic processes, which may bring about formal distinctions that have not and never had a corresponding functional distinction. In Yana the third person of the verb makes no formal distinction between singular and plural. |