Patterns in Child Phonology

This advanced introduction to non-disordered phonological acquisition is the first textbook of its kind. Relevant to theoretical, applied and clinical phonology, this student-friendly text will enable the reader to enhance their observational skills and develop an understanding of the connection between child data and phonological theory. The authors provide a clear overview of issues in phonological acquisition, investigating child phonological patterns, phonological theory, the pre-production stages of phonological acquisition and non-grammatical factors affecting acquisition.
Wyn Johnson and Paula Reimers first present a rich set of cross-linguistic data calling for phonological analyses before introducing a broad spectrum of phonological theory, which ranges from defining what is meant by 'markedness' to demonstrating how Optimality Theory explains child patterns. The question of when acquisition begins in the child also entails an investigation of pre-production stages, which casts doubt on the validity of phonological theory and necessitates the examination of alternative accounts of child patterns. By steering the reader to investigate the extent to which theories of speech production can explain recurring sound patterns in child language and introducing perceptual aspects of acquisition, this book provides readers with a sound understanding of the processes in phonological acquisition, essential to students and practitioners.
Patterns in Child Phonology isData rich - with numerous and cross-linguistic child production dataTheory rich - pre-production stages of acquisition are examined and the book remains theory neutralStudent-friendly - includes definitions of phonological terms and concepts

Wyn Johnson is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Language and Linguistics at the University of Essex and has taught phonology for the last 26 years. Over this period Wyn Johnson have become familiar with many aspects of theoretical phonology, up to and including Optimality Theory, as well as developing material in areas of applied and descriptive phonology such as Sociophonology and phonological acquisition. Wyn Johnson has designed and has been teaching since 2003, the graduate module on phonological acquisition which forms the basis for this book.
Paula Reimers is Research Fellow at the Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex and has taught undergraduate phonetics/phonology courses for the past four years as well as tutoring graduate students in phonological analysis. Paula Reimers Ph.D. thesis is on the theoretical aspect of phonological acquisition; specifically, investigating the role played by markedness, a concept that is central to linguistic theory of acquisition. She continues to study manifestations of linguistic markedness across various fields.

The authors provide a data- and theory-rich overview of phonological development in child speech. The book is well-written, and its structure is clear, based on the 'nature or nurture' debate in child acquisition. -- Britta Lintfert, University of Stuttgart LINGUIST list The authors provide a data- and theory-rich overview of phonological development in child speech. The book is well-written, and its structure is clear, based on the 'nature or nurture' debate in child acquisition.