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



– 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...

Documents

easier sounds

genetic program

novel words

word finallyso

phonological contrasts

latersimilar idea

laterthe idea

dont use