Prologue: Recent Advances in Phonological Theory and Treatment

Abstract

Each of the articles in this forum considers how phonology interacts with other aspects of language and language learning. The contributors show that this interaction plays a major role in a child’s learning of language, whether through typical routes, as evidenced by the normally developing child, or through clinical intervention. These interactions are apparent in both typical and atypical language learning, with the development of the lexicon being closely tied to the development of phonological representations (or URs). The correctness of these URs, as determined from morphophonemic alternations, plays a major role in accounting for children’s production patterns and determining what a child "knows" about the target sound system. Finally, the interaction between morphosyntax and phonology can be observed in language learning even when it occurs as a result of clinical intervention. It is hoped that this clinical forum will be informative and enlightening for researchers and clinical professionals.