On the interaction of deaffrication and consonant harmony

Abstract
Error patterns in children's phonological development are often described as simplifying processes that can interact with one another with different consequences. Some interactions limit the applicability of an error pattern, and others extend it to more words. Theories predict that error patterns interact to their full potential. While specific interactions have been documented for certain pairs of processes, no developmental study has shown that the range of typologically predicted interactions occurs for those processes. To determine whether this anomaly is an accidental gap or a systematic peculiarity of particular error patterns, two commonly occurring processes were considered, namely Deaffrication and Consonant Harmony. Results are reported from a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of 12 children (age 3;0 - 5;0) with functional phonological delays. Three interaction types were attested to varying degrees. The longitudinal results further instantiated the typology and revealed a characteristic trajectory of change. Implications of these findings are explored.
Description
Keywords
phonology, child phonology, clinical phonology, phonological disorders in children, phonological treatment, Learnability Project, language acquisition
Citation
Dinnsen, D. A., Gierut, J. A., Morrisette, M. L., Green, C. R., & Farris-Trimble, A. W. (2011). On the interaction of deaffrication and consonant harmony. Journal of Child Language, 38, 380-403. PMCID: PMC2933411
DOI
Link(s) to data and video for this item
Relation
Rights
© 2011 Cambridge University Press
Type
Article
Collections