Biomaterial Database

Acquisition of /s/-clusters in Dutch-speaking children with phonological disorders. 2010

Ellen Gerrits

Maastricht University Medical Centre, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands. e.gerrits@kno.unimaas.nl

This study investigated the acquisition of word initial /s/ clusters of 3-5 year old Dutch children with phonological disorders. Within these clusters, /sl/ was produced correctly most often, whereas /sn/ and /sx/ were the more difficult clusters. In cluster reductions, /s/+obstruent and /sl/ clusters reduction patterns followed the Sonority Sequencing Principle (SSP) by retaining the least sonorous segment; but this is not the case for the /sm/ cluster, where the more sonorous element is retained. The predictions of the factorial typology are supported. Reductions seem explainable through an interaction between sonority and the prosodic head of the cluster. Exceptions are /sn/ and /sx/, where no consistent reduction patterns are found. As expected, word production of children with phonological disorders is far less target-like than that of typically-developing children. However, the patterns of phonological simplification and reduction of the two groups are surprisingly similar. It can be concluded that language development of children with phonological disorders is delayed rather than deviant.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007802	Language	A verbal or nonverbal means of communicating ideas or feelings.	Dialect,Dialects,Languages
D007804	Language Development	The gradual expansion in complexity and meaning of symbols and sounds as perceived and interpreted by the individual through a maturational and learning process. Stages in development include babbling, cooing, word imitation with cognition, and use of short sentences.	Language Acquisition,Acquisition, Language,Development, Language
D008297	Male		Males
D010699	Phonation	The process of producing vocal sounds by means of VOCAL CORDS vibrating in an expiratory blast of air.	Phonations
D010700	Phonetics	The science or study of speech sounds and their production, transmission, and reception, and their analysis, classification, and transcription. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Speech Sounds,Sound, Speech,Sounds, Speech,Speech Sound
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001184	Articulation Disorders	Disorders of the quality of speech characterized by the substitution, omission, distortion, and addition of phonemes.	Phonological Impairments,Speech Articulation Disorders,Articulation Disorders, Developmental,Developmental Articulation Disorders,Disarticulation Disorders,Misarticulation,Phonology Impairment,Unintelligible Articulation,Articulation Disorder,Articulation Disorder, Developmental,Articulation Disorder, Speech,Articulation Disorders, Speech,Articulation, Unintelligible,Articulations, Unintelligible,Developmental Articulation Disorder,Disarticulation Disorder,Disorder, Disarticulation,Disorders, Disarticulation,Impairment, Phonological,Impairment, Phonology,Impairments, Phonological,Impairments, Phonology,Phonological Impairment,Phonology Impairments,Speech Articulation Disorder,Unintelligible Articulations
D013062	Speech Articulation Tests	Tests of accuracy in pronouncing speech sounds, e.g., Iowa Pressure Articulation Test, Deep Test of Articulation, Templin-Darley Tests of Articulation, Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation, Screening Speech Articulation Test, Arizona Articulation Proficiency Scale.	Articulation Test, Speech,Articulation Tests, Speech,Speech Articulation Test,Test, Speech Articulation,Tests, Speech Articulation