Notes on Phonological Processes: Manner, Place, and Voice Changes
Manner Changes in Phonological Processes
Manner changes refer to alterations in how sounds are produced, specifically how airflow is manipulated. The location of sound production (placement) remains the same; only the manner changes. These processes involve sounds that require a lot of air or have stopped air.
Stopping (also known as Stridency Deletion)
Definition: Stopping the continuous airflow of a sound that should have continuous airflow. This primarily affects fricatives and affricates, turning them into stops.
Examples:
/s/ (fricative) becomes /t/ (stop)
/v/ (fricative) becomes /b/ (stop)
/f/ (fricative) becomes /p/ (stop)
Developmental Trajectory: This is a common developmental process. It is typically expected to resolve by around 3 to 3.5 years of age. Persistence beyond this age can be a concern.
Stridency Deletion - A Nuance:
Manner Changes in Phonological Processes
Manner changes refer to alterations in how sounds are produced, specifically how airflow is manipulated within the vocal tract. The location of sound production (place of articulation) typically remains the same; only the manner of articulation changes. These processes often involve sounds that require continuous airflow, a high amount of air pressure, or those that involve a stoppage of air. They are common in speech development as children simplify complex articulatory movements.
Stopping (also known as Stridency Deletion)
Definition: Stopping is a phonological process where the continuous airflow of a fricative or affricate sound is replaced by a complete stoppage of airflow, resulting in a stop (plosive). This effectively means a sound that should be produced with constricted but continuous airflow is instead produced with a momentary complete closure of the vocal tract.
Rationale: This simplification occurs because fricatives and affricates require precise articulatory control to maintain turbulent, continuous airflow, which can be challenging for developing speech systems.
Sounds Affected: Primarily affects fricatives (e.g., /f, v, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, θ, ð/) and affricates (e.g., /tʃ, dʒ/).
Examples:
/s/ (fricative) becomes /t/ (stop) - e.g., "sun" /sʌn/ pronounced as "tun" /tʌn/
/v/ (fricative) becomes /b/ (stop) - e.g., "vote" /voʊt/ pronounced as "boat" /boʊt/
/f/ (fricative) becomes /p/ (stop) - e.g., "fan" /fæn/ pronounced as "pan" /pæn/
/ʃ/ (fricative) becomes /t/ or /d/ (stop) - e.g., "shoe" /ʃu/ pronounced as "tu" /tu/
/tʃ/ (affricate) becomes /t/ or /d/ (stop) - e.g., "chair" /tʃɛr/ pronounced as "ter" /tɛr/
Developmental Trajectory: This is a very common developmental process in typically developing children. It is generally expected to resolve by approximately 3 to 3.5 years of age. Persistence of stopping beyond this age can indicate a phonological delay or disorder.
Stridency Deletion - A Nuance
Definition: Stridency deletion refers to the omission or substitution of a strident sound with a non-strident sound. Stridency is characterized by the high-frequency noise generated when airflow is forced through a narrow opening. All strident sounds are fricatives or affricates, but not all fricatives are strident (e.g., /θ, ð, h/ are non-strident fricatives).
Relationship to Stopping: Stopping is a common form of stridency deletion. When a strident fricative or affricate (e.g., /s, z, f, v, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/) is replaced by a stop (which is non-strident), stridency is deleted. However, stridency deletion can also occur through other processes, such as the replacement of a strident sound with a non-strident fricative (e.g., /s/ becoming /θ/, though this is less common than stopping).
Strident Sounds: These include labiodental fricatives /f, v/, alveolar fricatives /s, z/, palatal fricatives /ʃ, ʒ/, and affricates /tʃ, dʒ/.
Non-Strident Sounds: These include lingua-dental fricatives /θ, ð/, glottal fricative /h/, and all stops (e.g., /p, b, t, d, k, g/).
Clinical Relevance: Both stopping and stridency deletion are important