Underpinning knowledge

This book assumes an introductory level knowledge of phonetics, articulation of speech sounds and using IPA symbols to transcribe speech. If you are uncertain whether or not you have the necessary foundation skills to understand these concepts, you are advised to first read the companion volume entitled 'English Speech Sounds' (available on this website). This will give you the underpinning knowledge to appreciate the ideas presented in Phonological Processes: Natural Ways of Simplifying Speech Production.

Focus

Children younger than 5;00 years have not developed sufficiently to fully co-ordinate the movement of their vocal apparatus to realise speech sounds, and combinations of speech sounds. Consequently, certain sounds, or transitions from one sound to another, may be too difficult.

However, children use a set of subconscious rules to formulate words. These rules influence which simpler sounds to use. These phonological simplifying processes are natural responses to the difficulties encountered in the production of speech. An understanding of these processes is at the heart of this book.

Contents

Phonological Organisation

Phonological Simplifying Processes

Structural Simplifications

Reduplication

Deletion

Cluster Reduction

Metathesis

Epenthesis

Systemic Simplifications

Substitutions

Fronting

Backing

Stopping

Denasalisation

Frication

Gliding

Labialisation

Assimilations

Vowel harmony

Consonant harmony

Voicing change

Feature synthesis

Co-occurrence of Phonological Processes

Exercises