How do phonologically distinct sounds generally behave in a spoken language?

Phonologically distinct sounds refer to sounds that can change the meaning of a word in a language. For example, in English, the sounds /p/ and /b/ are distinct phonemes because swapping one for the other can lead to different words, such as "pat" and "bat."

In this context, the correct answer highlights that distinct sounds have unique phonemic representations. This means that each distinct sound corresponds to a specific phoneme in the language's phonological inventory. These distinct phonemes differentiate meaning and contribute to the structure of the language. They have specific articulatory and auditory properties that define them as separate units of sound in the language.

In contrast, the other choices suggest incorrect understandings of phonological distinctions. Overlapping in production might imply that distinct sounds can be produced in similar ways without altering meaning, which is not the case for phonemes. Saying they are always interchangeable would overlook the critical role of phonemic differences in meaning. Lastly, the notion that they cannot co-occur suggests a misunderstanding of phonetic context, as distinct sounds often do appear in sequence within the same language. Thus, the distinction and unique representation of these sounds are what define their behavior in spoken languages.