Toddlers' Processing of Phonological Alternations: Early Compensation for Assimilation in English and French. Issue 1 (9th September 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Skoruppa, Katrin; Mani, Nivedita; Peperkamp, Sharon
• Is Part Of: Child development. Volume 84:Issue 1(2013:Jan./Feb.)
• Page Start: 313
• Page End: 330
• Publication Date: 2012-09-09
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child Development -- Periodicals; Child Development; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pedicatrics; 305.231
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01845.x
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3920

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Using a picture pointing task, this study examines toddlers' processing of phonological alternations that trigger sound changes in connected speech. Three experiments investigate whether 2;5‐ to 3‐year‐old children take into account assimilations—processes by which phonological features of one sound spread to adjacent sounds—for the purpose of word recognition (e.g., in English, <italic>ten pounds</italic> can be produced as <italic>te[mp]ounds</italic>). English toddlers (<italic>n </italic>=<italic> </italic>18) show sensitivity to native place assimilations during lexical access in Experiment 1. Likewise, French toddlers (<italic>n </italic>=<italic> </italic>27) compensate for French voicing assimilations in Experiment 2. However, French toddlers (<italic>n </italic>=<italic> </italic>27) do not take into account a hypothetical non‐native place assimilation rule in Experiment 3, suggesting that compensation for assimilation is already language specific.</p> </abstract>