Abstract
This study considers the much-debated markedness and structural
status of word-initial /s/-sequences in English by examining the
development of KR (male, age 3;6) who has a phonological disorder.
Three points in time are discussed: (1) when all initial consonant
sequences are reduced to singletons; (2) when only initial /s/-sequences
surface correctly; and (3) when all initial consonant sequences surface
correctly. While these production patterns are common across developing
systems, few accounts have addressed them in terms of structure or
markedness. Toward that end, it is argued that KR's /s/-sequences
surface as ADJUNCTS, rather than complex onsets. This is explained
within optimality theory, whereby high-ranking markedness constraints
prevent complex onsets but not adjuncts. The account offers an
explanation for consonant sequence asymmetries within and across
grammars, allowing for differing representations for /s/-sequences
across speakers and for variation exhibited in children's productions. A
typology of possible grammars is therefore offered, and clinical implications are considered.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
General Psychology,Linguistics and Language,Developmental and Educational Psychology,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology,Language and Linguistics
Cited by
42 articles.
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