Phonological Processes Sem1

PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES
• Phonological processes is defined as the deficits in knowledge

of rules governing how phonemes can be combined.
• Phonological processes are regularly occurring deviations
from the standard adult speech patterns, that may occur across
a class of sounds, syllable shapes or syllable sequences.
• According to grunwell (1985), phonological processes are
classified as processes that change syllable structure,
substitution processes, assimilation process and others.
I. Syllable Structure Process:
• Syllable structure processes are those which change the number or alter
the order of the segments in the standard adult word form.
• Cluster reduction: this is the most commonly occurring process in the
children. In this process specific consonants in a cluster are omitted
which are typically difficult to produce. This is one of the longest lasting
processes while development in children. E.G. Stove: /tov/ or
break: /bek/
• The various patterns of cluster reductions based on the cluster
combinations are described as following.
• In /stop + liquid/ cluster, the stop is usually maintained and the liquid
is deleted. E.G. Blue: /bu/
• In postvocalic cluster composed of /liquid + stop/ the liquid is usually
deleted. E.G. Park: /pak/
• In /s/ combination clusters like /s + stop / and /s+nasal/, /s/ is usually
deleted. E.G. Smell: /mel/
• Most clusters are reduced by deleting one member and maintaining the other, some
initial clusters are reduced to single sound that was not a member of target cluster,
commonly occurring. E.G. Tree: /fi/
• Cluster reduction is further divided into three subcategories:
1. Total cluster reduction (TCR) - this involves the reduction of all the members of
the cluster,
2. Partial cluster reduction (PCR) - this occurs when some of the cluster members
are deleted but other are remained and
3. Cluster substitution (CS) - this occurs when there is a substitution of a cluster
member.
CONSONANT DELETION:
Most often this affects final consonants, though initial and medial consonants may also be
omitted. Word final position /school/: /sku/
• Final consonant deletion is also known as "open syllable" occurs when the final consonant
in a word is omitted.
• Initial consonant deletion occurs when the initial consonant in a word is omitted. E.G. Word
initial position: /bat/: /æt/

• Weak syllable deletion: this process is also referred to as “unstressed syllable
deletion or syllable reduction”. In weak syllable deletion the unstressed syllable of
a multisyllabic word is omitted. There is a strong tendency for children to
preserve a final syllable, whether it is stressed or not, presumably because final
position is perceptually salient. E.G. /Elephant/: /efant/ or /banana/: /nənə/
• Dimunitization: stoel gammon and dunn (1985) described it as adding an /i/ or
consonant plus /i/ to a word. The resultant word is considered as immature speech
pattern. E.G. Dog: /dogi/
• Epenthesis: epenthesis refers to the addition of a schwa vowel /ə/
between two consonants of a consonant cluster and after a final voice
stop. E.G. /School/: /səkʊl/
• Reduplication: this is also called as doubling described by stoel -
gammon and dunn (1985) as repetition a syllable of a word making it to
a polysyllabic form. This process is often accompanied by final
consonant deletion. Literature suggests the use of reduplication as a
developmental stage that all children pass through early while
acquisition of words. E.G./Ball/: /baba/
• Glottal replacement: glottal replacement is the process of substituting a glottal
stop for a consonant.
• Weiner (1979) hypothesized that it serves as a marker for an omitted consonant.
E.G. Bath: /bæ/
• Coalescence: coalescence is described in two different ways.
1. Khan (1982) characterized this process as producing multisyllabic word with
fewer syllables than the standard form with both syllables retained, for e.G. /Mæn/
for "melon" which contains the /m/ from the first syllable and /n/ from the second.
2. Hodson (1980) described this process as the use of one consonant, which share
features of the two consonants of a cluster for e.G. /Fun/ for "spoon" in which /f/
has the stridency of /s/ and the labialness of /p/.
II. Substitution Process:
• These processes involve replacing one sound by another sound without being
influenced by surrounding phonemes.
• These substitutions generally are of one class of phonemes and these processes affect
liquids, stops, fricatives, affricates, nasals and glides, and occur in the speech of
normally developing children.
• The name of these processes typically reflect the replacing sound classes. These are
processes are as follows: stopping, fronting, palatalization, depalatalization,
vocalization, gliding, denasalization, neutralization.
• Stopping: edwards and shriberg (1983) indicated that stopping refers to
fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides being replaced by stops. Stopping is a
commonly used process in children while development. E.G. Sun: /tən/
• Fronting: fronting refers to the replacement of a target phoneme with another
phoneme, which is articulated or produced anteriorly to the target. Mainly two
types of fronting are observed i..E. Palatal fronting wherein forward production of
the palatal consonants observed and velar fronting were in forward production of
the velar consonants observed. E.G. Sheep: /̪tip/ (palatal fronting) cow: [tau]
(velar fronting)
• Palatalization: palatalization occurs when a sound is produced as a palatal rather
than as a non palatal. According to hodson (1980) this occurs most commonly on
sibilants and clusters. E.G. Soup: /ʃup/
• Depalatalization: depalatalization occurs when a palatal consonant is replaced
by a non palatal sound. E.G. Mash: /mæs/
• Vocalizaiton: vocalization is the process in which a vowel is substituted for a
syllabic consonant. It can occur in any position within a word. E.G. Car: [kau]
• Gliding: gliding refers to the use of glide /w,j/ for another consonant. The process of
gliding persists considerably longer in children speech. Gliding occurs frequently on
prevocalic liquids /r,l/ in singletons and clusters, and sometimes on fricatives. A glide
for fricative occurs primarily in children with deviant phonology (weiner, 1979) e.G.
Lamp: /waemp/
• Denasalization: denasalization occurs when a nasal is replaced by a stop that has the
same articulatory placement. Weiner (1979) noted that this process occurs more
frequently in word initial and medial positions than in the word final position. E.G.
Make: [bek]
• Neutralization: neutralization occurs when several different phonemes are replaced
by one sound. This process may appear on both consonants and vowels. E.G. Juice:
[ju]
III. Assimilation or Harmony Processes:
• Assimilation or harmony process is when one sound is influenced by another

sound that is nearby and becomes more similar/identical to it.
• The influence of one sound or syllable upon another syllable or sound in a word can
be from left to right or from right to left.
• Progressive assimilation occurs when a sound in word is influenced by preceding
sound for e.g. coat: /kok/ and
• Regressive assimilation is the case when a sound is influenced by later sound i.e.
Rock: /gͻk/.
• If the direction of assimilation is rightward, that is, the following sound
acquires the features of the preceding sound, the process is progressive
assimilation. e.g. Bags - /bæɡ + z/
• If the direction of assimilation is leftward, that is, the preceding sound

acquires the features of the following sound, the process is regressive
or anticipatory assimilation. e.g. bank - /bæŋk/.
• Labial assimilation: A sound becomes a labial due to the influence of
another labial sound in the standard word. e.g.: progressive labial assimilation
and regressive assimilation are /bop/ for "boat" and /pʌm/ for "thumb".
• Velar assimilation: A sound becomes a velar due to the influence of another
velar sound in the standard word. e.g. Progressive and regressive velar
assimilation are /kok/ for "comb" and /gog/ for "dog" respectively.
• Alveolar assimilation: a sound becomes an alveolar due to the influence of
another alveolar sound in the standard word. e.g. Progressive assimilation and
regressive assimilation are /dædɪ/ for "doggie" and /tæt/ for "cat" respectively.
• Nasal assimilation: A sound becomes a nasal due to the influence of another nasal
sound in the standard word. e.g. progressive nasal assimilation is /non/ for "nose"
and regressive assimilation is /nʌn/ for "sun".
• Voicing assimilation: A consonant takes on the voicing feature of a neighboring
element. Grunwell (1982) concludes that assimilation does not persist in normal
children after three years of age.
Two types of voicing assimilation are commonly reported i.e. Prevocalic voicing and
final consonant devoicing.
Prevocalic voicing refer to voicing to an unvoiced consonant when it precedes a
vowel. e.g. include /del/ for “tail”.
Post vocalic devoicing is changing a voiced obstruent at the end of a word to a
voiceless obstruent.
Vowel
Processes
Feature Complexity Vowel

Changes Changes Harmony
VOWEL PROCESSES
Vowel errors would fall into one of the three subtypes as follows.
• Feature changes in which vowel features (height, frontness, and
roundness) change the vowel.
• Complexity changes which involves changes in diphthongal nature of
vowels.
• Vowel harmony in which a vowel changes to become more like another
vowel in the same word.
A) Feature Changing Processes:
• Vowel backing: In this process a vowel is being replaced with a more posterior
vowel. e.g. /Æ/:/a/
• Vowel lowering: This change occurs when a vowel is replaced with a vowel made at
a lower tongue height. e.g.: /ɪ/:/e/
• Centralization: this process occurs when a vowel is replaced with a central vowel,
typically the schwa or stressed form. e.g.: /e/:/ʌ/
• Vowel unrounding: A normally rounded vowel is produced without rounding.
e.g:/Ɔ/:/a/
B)Complexity Changes:
• Diphthongization: A monophthong vowel is replaced by a diphthong.
e.g.:/ɑ/:/ai/
• Diphthong reduction/ monophthongization: Here a diphthong is
produced as a monophthong. e.g.:/Ai/:/a/
C)Vowel Harmony:
• Complete vowel harmony: In this process one vowel is changed so that both
vowels in the word are the same. e.g.: Teddy: /tɛdɛ/
• Tenseness harmony: Lax vowel becoming tense when there is tense vowel in the
same word. e.g.: Cookie: /kuki/
• Height vowel harmony: A vowel is replaced with a vowel that is closer in the
production to the height of another vowel in the same word. e.g.: Basket:/bɛskɪt/
• Consonant vowel harmony: A vowel is changes due to the presence of neighboring
consonant. e.g.: Mol: /mͻl/

Phonological Processes Sem1

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Phonological Processes Sem1

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PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES

• Phonological processes is defined as the deficits in knowledge

omitted. Word final position /school/: /sku/

initial position: /bat/: /æt/

• Assimilation or harmony process is when one sound is influenced by another

• If the direction of assimilation is leftward, that is, the preceding sound

Feature Complexity Vowel

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