Phonological Acquisition Theory: kids can't hear the sounds – Problems: Kid has same pronunciation for bus, brush, duck, cart, card, and mouse He can point.

Phonological Acquisition

Theory: kids can't hear the sounds

– Problems:• Kid has same pronunciation for bus, brush,

duck, cart, card, and mouse

• He can point to the right one when asked



– Problems:• Kid has same pronunciation for bus, brush,

duck, cart, card, and mouse

• He can point to the right one when asked

• So he has a good ear, not a good mouth



– Problems:• In wired binki experiment babies distinguish

between all kinds of sounds



– Problems:• In wired binki experiment babies distinguish

between all kinds of sounds

• Kids hate it when you use their pronunciations. They know it isn't right (mikeywave)


Theory: sounds are too hard for kids to pronounce

– What's that

– A nake

– A snake

– Yeah a nake



– What's that

– A nake

– A snake

– Yeah a nake

– Say snake

– Nake

– No, snake

– Take



– What's that

– A nake

– A snake

– Yeah a nake

– Say snake

– Nake

– No, snake

– Take

– What sound do snakes make?

– SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS



– Kids babbled sounds they don't use in words



– Kids babbled sounds they don't use in words

– Kids use sound correctly in some words but not others

• mouth as moush

• but

• shoe as sue


Theory: Genetic program that allows some sounds first and others later




– The idea is that kids learn phonological contrasts in a particular order



– The idea is that kids learn phonological contrasts in a particular order

– The statistical tendency is there, but it's not set in stone



– Similar idea: more “natural” or easier sounds are learned first



– Similar idea: more “natural” or easier sounds are learned first

– How do you determine naturalness or ease?


Theory: Kids are little scientists figuring the system out as they go

– Malapropisms by kids

• retain rhythmic pattern

– monument for ornament• retain number of syllable

• change first consonant sound

– Kids remember initially stressed words easier

– Kids remember words with consonant with same voicing

Phonological Processing

In Dutch /b d g/ devoice word finally

– verwijden [vervejdən] to widen

– verwijten [vervejtən] to reproach


In Dutch /b d g/ devoice word finally

– verwijden [vervejdən] to widen

– verwijten [vervejtən] to reproach

– verwijd [vervejt] widen

– verwijt [vervejt] reproach


In Dutch /b d g/ devoice word finally So how do they handle novel words?

– If they end in [p t k] they could have /p t k/ in stem


In Dutch /b d g/ devoice word finally So how do they handle novel words?

– If they end in [p t k] then could have /p t k/ in stem

– Or, they could have /b d g/ in stem that is devoiced


Experiment

– ik dent, ik tief (I ____ (present tense))

– “What is the past tense form”

– In Dutch -te is put after voiceless phones and -de after voiced phones.


Experiment

– ik dent, ik tief (I ____ (present tense))

– “What is the past tense form”

– In Dutch -te is put after voiceless phones and -de after voiced phones.

– People could say:• tiefte or tievde

• dentte or dendde


Hypotheses

– People will always use -te since they always hear a voiceless stop


Hypotheses


– People will randomly use -te or -de


Hypotheses



– People will choose -te or -de depending on how similar the test word is to other Dutch verbs


Hypotheses



– People will choose -te or -de depending on how similar the test word is to other Dutch verbs

– More evidence that language processing is analogical


When to Americans flap /t/?

– It needs to be between vowels or after an r or l• city, altar, faculty, atom, auto

• not

• interior, atrium, attract, tense



– It needs to be between vowels or after an r or l• city, altar, faculty, atom, auto

• not

• interior, atrium, attract, tense

– It needs to be followed by a stressless syllable• city, altar, faculty, atom

• not

• attack, atonement


Stress predicts 98% of cases


Experiment

– Which sounds more natural to you?• ['dəɾejs] or ['dəthejs]

• [də'thejs] or [də'ɾejs]


Experiment

– Which sounds more natural to you?• ['dəɾejs] or ['dəthejs]

• [də'thejs] or [də'ɾejs]

People favored flaps when followed by an unstressed syllable

People favored /t/ when followed by a stressed styllable



– What about syllable structure?• Theory 1: flaps occur in the onset

– ci.ty, a.tom




– ci.ty, a.tom

• Theory 2: flaps occur in the coda– cit.y, at. om




– ci.ty, a.tom


• Theory 3: flaps are ambisyllabic– (ci(t)y), (a(t)om)




– ci.ty, a.tom


• Theory 3: flaps are ambisyllabic– (ci(t)y), (a(t)om)

– How could you prove one or the other?


Experiment: how do you divide words?• photon

• ___ FOW / TAHN

• ___ FOWT / AHN

• ___ I’m not sure


Experiment: how do you divide words?• photon

• ___ FOW / TAHN

• ___ FOWT / AHN

• ___ I’m not sure

• (This can't test ambisyllabicity)


Experiment: What influences the syllabification of /t/ into the onset?

– stress?



– stress? No• a.ttáck no likelier than á.ttic



– vowel quality?



– vowel quality? Not by itself



– vowel quality by pronunciation of /t/?



– vowel quality by pronunciation of /t/? Yes• People put words with [th] pronunciation in onset

– when lax vowel preceded it» a.ttach» sa.tire

– and when tense vowel preceded it» pho.ton



– vowel quality by pronunciation of /t/? Yes• But, people put words with flap pronunciation in

the coda when lax vowel preceded it:– att.ic– flutt.er

• and in the onset when a tense vowel preceded it:

– suit.or– teet.er



– vowel quality by pronunciation of /t/? Yes• But, people put words with flap pronunciation in

the coda when lax vowel preceded it:– att.ic– flutt.er

• and in the onset when a tense vowel preceded it:

– suit.or– teet.er

– So flaps occur in both the coda and the onset

– How does that fit with theory that flaps are conditioned by being in onset or coda?


Does ambisyllabicity condition flaps?

– Experiment:• What is the first part of city: ci or cit?

• What is the second part of city: y or ty?




• What is the second part of city: y or ty?– Ambisyllabicity if first part is cit and second is ty.





– Words with [th] had it mainly in the onset• first part of attack is a-

• second part of attack is -ttack





– Words with flap had it in onset, coda, ambisyllabic. All over the place





– Words with flap had it in onset, coda, ambisyllabic. All over the place

– So, ambisyllabicity (or onset or coda) is not consistently associated with flaps and therefore, can't condition them

Phonological Acquisition Theory: kids can't hear the sounds – Problems: Kid has same pronunciation for bus, brush, duck, cart, card, and mouse He can point.

Documents

easier sounds

genetic program

novel words

word finallyso

phonological contrasts

latersimilar idea

laterthe idea

dont use