An Analysis of Young Children's Ability to Produce Multisyllabic English Nouns

Abstract

Differentiation of normal versus delayed acquisition of correct production of multisyllabic words has not become a useful clinical tool because there are no clearly established clinical guidelines. Identification of normal patterns of emergence and progression of words with complex canonical form could help us to understand deficient development and would facilitate identification of phonological delays. In this investigation, phonological simplifications were determined for bisyllabic and multisyllabic English nouns produced by 72 normal, middle-class children. The children's age range was 24.5 to 54.5 months. Findings indicated that syllable deletion was a strategy used extensively by 2-year-olds, but this phonological process showed dissolution with age and, by the age of 4, syllable number was correct except in some words with atypical English stress patterns such as bisyllabics with iambic stress patterns. Target words were analysed for characteristics that were likely to cause syllable deletions, and it was found that interactions of syllable number, syllable position, syllable strength, and possibly the children's phonetic inventories were related to syllable deletions. Usage of phonological processes such as assimilation and substitution was also analysed to determine whether specific processes occurred as a function of age. Processes other than syllable deletion showed variability across subjects, and usage of specific processes did not appear to be related to age. It was concluded that the oldest children in this investigation, at a mean age of 50.4 months, could produce most multisyllabic nouns that had typical English stress patterns with the correct number of syllables. Syllable deletions continued to be used in about 10% of their productions, and occurred most often in words that have come into English from other languages. The children also used minor substitution processes such as stopping of later-acquired fricatives and simplifications of liquids, especially in consonant clusters. These findings can be used clinically to compare language-impaired children with this representative group when evaluating children's multisyllabic word productions.

Key Words:

• Phonological development
• multisyllabic words
• phonological processes
• phonological delay
• complex canonical forms.