Phonological Patterns/Processes

Fronting

Place changes: When postalveolar, palatal, or velar consonants are replaced with alveolars sounds.

"cat" → [tæt]

-eliminated by 4yrs

Velar assimilation

place changes: consonants assimilate to the place of production of a velar consonant

"dog" → [gɔg]

-eliminated by 3 yrs

labial assimilation

place changes: consonants assimilate to place of production of labial consonant

•"bed" → [bɛb]

-eliminated by 4 yrs

Palatalization

Place changes: Alveolar consonants are replaced with palatals or post-alveolars

•"so" → [ʃo]

•Eliminated by age 4

Depalatalization

Place Changes: Palatal (also post-alveolar) consonants are replaced by Alveolar consonants

•show" → [so]

•Eliminated by age 4-5

Backing

Place changes: Alveolar (and sometimes postalveolar) consonants are pronounced as velar stops.

•"tap" → [kæp]

•Atypical

glottal replacement

Place changes: Replacement of a consonant with a glottal stop.

•"bottle" → [bɑʔl]

•Atypical

stopping

manner changes: When a fricative or affricate is substituted with a stop consonant.

•fit" → [pɪt]

•Eliminated by ages 3-5

gliding

manner changes: •When a liquid is substituted with a glide.

•"run" → [wʌn]

•Eliminated by age 5:0-6:0

lateralization

manner changes: When fricatives are produced with a lateral air flow, resulting in a "slushy" quality.

•"sun" → [ɬʌn]

•Atypical

affrication

manner changes: When a non-affricate is pronounced as an affricate.

•"shoe" → [tʃu]

•Eliminated by age 4

deaffrication

manner changes: When an affricate is replaced by a stop or fricative.

•"Chip" → [ʃɪp]

•Eliminated by age 4

nasalization

manner changes: When non-nasal consonants are replaced by nasal consonants.

•"bat" → [mæt]

•Atypical

denasalization

manner changes: When nasal consonants are replaced by non-nasals.

•"man" → [dæn]

•Atypical

cluster reduction

consonant changes: When a consonant cluster is reduced to one single sound.

•"stop" → [tɑp]

•Eliminated by age 4:0-5:0

metathesis

sound reversal: The reversal of two sounds in a word

•"animal" → aminal

•Atypical

epenthesis

consonant cluster change: Insertion of a vowel between consonants in a consonant cluster.

•"blue" → [bəlu]

•Atypical

vowelization

vowel changes: When /l/ or 'er' are replaced by a vowel

•"table" → [teɪbo]

•Eliminated by age 6:0

vowel distortion

vowel changes: When vowels are lowered or reduced

•"bed" → [bəd]

•Atypical

reduplication

syllable changes: repetition of a syllable

•"water" → [wɑwɑ]

•Eliminated by age 2

weak syllable deletion

syllable changes: deletion of an unstressed syllable

•"banana" → [nænə]

•Eliminated by age 4

Initial consonant deletion

syllable changes: deletion of consonant at the begining of a word

•"dog" → [ɔg]

•Atypical

final consonant deletion

syllable changes: deletion of a consonant at the end of a syllable or word

•"hat" → [hæ]

•Eliminated by age 3

Prevocalic voicing

voice changes: When a voiceless consonant before a vowel is replaced with a voiced sound.

•"cup" → [gʌp]

•Eliminated by age 3

final consonant devoicing

voice changes: When a voiced consonant at the end of a word is replaced with a voiceless sound.

•"bed" → [bɛt]

•Eliminated by age 3-4