THE MANAGEMENT OF PHONOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY IN SENTENCE CONTEXTS BY THREE- TO FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN (VARIABILITY, INCONSISTENCY).

摘要

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the differential effects, if any, of phonological complexity upon the productions of clusters, stridents, and velars by 3- to 5-year-old children with varying phonological abilities. Strategies these children employed when they were unable to accurately repeat phonologically complex sentences were also identified.;Each subject repeated 21 words (7 containing clusters, 7 containing stridents, and 7 containing velars). These words were also embedded in a phonologically simple (PSS) and a phonologically complex sentence (PCS) that the subjects also repeated. Three aspects of phonological complexity (complex shapes, late-emerging consonants, and disyllables) were used in the PCS task, both singly and in combinations, comprising seven different complexity conditions.;Productions of skills across the three tasks (Word, PSS, and PCS) were compared. Reductions of skills between the tasks (per target word) were identified. Strategies the subjects used in further reducing a skill on the PCS task (beyond the PSS production) were also identified.;Children in Group I did not evidence a significant number of decreases in accuracy between the PSS and PCS tasks, but Group II and III children evidenced a significant number of reductions. Additionally, the children in Group III demonstrated a significant increase in accuracy of skill production on the PCS task. Group II evidenced more errors on the sentences with combined aspects of complexity than those with single aspects of complexity. Conversely, Group III had more reductions on the sentences with single aspects of complexity than the sentences with combined aspects. The ratio of use of strategies (omissions:major place substitutions:assimilations) for Groups II and III were essentially the same. Generally, the processes used were those commonly found in the speech of phonologically delayed children.;Subjects were categorized into groups on the basis of their phonological abilities in single words and connected speech. Group I children evidenced a mastery of clusters, stridents, and velars in single words and were generally intelligible in connected speech. Group II children also evidenced a mastery of these skills in single words yet had intelligibility problems in connected speech. Group III children demonstrated only an emergence of these skills in single words and had intelligibility problems in connected speech.