There is no phonology without abstract categories: A commentary on Ambridge (2020). Issue 5 (October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rose, Yvan
• Other Names: Marshall Chloë guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: First language. Volume 40:Issue 5/6(2020)
• Page Start: 626
• Page End: 630
• Publication Date: 2020-10
• Subjects: acquisition -- categories -- linguistic structure -- phonology -- theory; Language acquisition -- Periodicals; 401.9305
• DOI: 10.1177/0142723720905908
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0142-7237

Abstract

Ambridge's proposal cannot account for the most basic observations about phonological patterns in human languages. Outside of the earliest stages of phonological production by toddlers, the phonological systems of speakers/learners exhibit internal behaviours that point to the representation and processing of inter-related units ranging in size from sub-segmental (featural) and segmental to larger prosodic units ranging from the syllable all the way to the phonological utterance. Only theories which embrace these units can make proper predictions about phonological behaviours.