phonological acquisition theory: kids can't hear the sounds – problems: kid has same...

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

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

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

Phonological Acquisition

Theory: kids can't hear the sounds

– Problems:• In wired binki experiment babies distinguish

between all kinds of sounds

Phonological Acquisition

Theory: kids can't hear the 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)

Phonological Acquisition

Theory: sounds are too hard for kids to pronounce

– What's that

– A nake

– A snake

– Yeah a nake

Phonological Acquisition

Theory: sounds are too hard for kids to pronounce

– What's that

– A nake

– A snake

– Yeah a nake

– Say snake

– Nake

– No, snake

– Take

Phonological Acquisition

Theory: sounds are too hard for kids to pronounce

– What's that

– A nake

– A snake

– Yeah a nake

– Say snake

– Nake

– No, snake

– Take

– What sound do snakes make?

– SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Phonological Acquisition

Theory: sounds are too hard for kids to pronounce

– Kids babbled sounds they don't use in words

Phonological Acquisition

Theory: sounds are too hard for kids to pronounce

– 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

Phonological Acquisition

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

Phonological Acquisition

Phonological Acquisition

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

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

Phonological Acquisition

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

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

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

Phonological Acquisition

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

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

Phonological Acquisition

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

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

– How do you determine naturalness or ease?

Phonological Acquisition

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

Phonological Processing

In Dutch /b d g/ devoice word finally

– verwijden [vervejdən] to widen

– verwijten [vervejtən] to reproach

– verwijd [vervejt] widen

– verwijt [vervejt] reproach

Phonological Processing

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

Phonological Processing

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

Phonological Processing

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.

Phonological Processing

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

Phonological Processing

Hypotheses

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

Phonological Processing

Hypotheses

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

– People will randomly use -te or -de

Phonological Processing

Hypotheses

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

– People will randomly use -te or -de

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

Phonological Processing

Hypotheses

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

– People will randomly use -te or -de

– 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

Phonological Processing

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

Phonological Processing

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 followed by a stressless syllable• city, altar, faculty, atom

• not

• attack, atonement

Phonological Processing

Stress predicts 98% of cases

Phonological Processing

Experiment

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

• [də'thejs] or [də'ɾejs]

Phonological Processing

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

Phonological Processing

When to Americans flap /t/?

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

– ci.ty, a.tom

Phonological Processing

When to Americans flap /t/?

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

– ci.ty, a.tom

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

Phonological Processing

When to Americans flap /t/?

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

– ci.ty, a.tom

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

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

Phonological Processing

When to Americans flap /t/?

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

– ci.ty, a.tom

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

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

– How could you prove one or the other?

Phonological Processing

Experiment: how do you divide words?• photon

• ___ FOW / TAHN

• ___ FOWT / AHN

• ___ I’m not sure

Phonological Processing

Experiment: how do you divide words?• photon

• ___ FOW / TAHN

• ___ FOWT / AHN

• ___ I’m not sure

• (This can't test ambisyllabicity)

Phonological Processing

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

– stress?

Phonological Processing

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

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

Phonological Processing

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

– vowel quality?

Phonological Processing

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

– vowel quality? Not by itself

Phonological Processing

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

– vowel quality by pronunciation of /t/?

Phonological Processing

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

– 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

Phonological Processing

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

– 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

Phonological Processing

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

– 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?

Phonological Processing

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?

Phonological Processing

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?– Ambisyllabicity if first part is cit and second is ty.

Phonological Processing

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?– 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

Phonological Processing

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?– Ambisyllabicity if first part is cit and second is ty.

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

Phonological Processing

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?– Ambisyllabicity if first part is cit and second is ty.

– 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