Acquiring Phonology: A Cross-Generational Case-Study (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics, Series Number 124) - Softcover

Smith, Neil

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107662958 ISBN 13: 9781107662957

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2014

Synopsis

Children often mispronounce words when learning their first language. Is it because they cannot perceive the differences that adults make or is it because they can't produce the sounds involved? Neither hypothesis is sufficient on its own to explain the facts. On the basis of detailed analyses of his son's and grandson's development, Neil Smith explains the everyday miracle of one aspect of first-language acquisition. Mispronunciations are now attributed to performance rather than to competence, and he argues at length that children's productions are not mentally represented. The study also highlights the constructs of current linguistic theory, arguing for distinctive features and the notion 'onset' and against some of the claims of Optimality Theory and Usage-based accounts. Smith provides an important and engaging update to his previous work, The Acquisition of Phonology, building on ideas previously developed and drawing new conclusions with the aid of fresh data.

About this title

Book Description:

On the basis of detailed analyses of his son's and grandson's development, Neil Smith explains the everyday miracle of one aspect of first-language acquisition. Mispronunciations are now attributed to performance rather than to competence, and he argues at length that their productions are not mentally represented.

About the Author:

Neil Smith is Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at University College London. His previous publications include The Acquisition of Phonology (Cambridge University Press, 1973), Modern Linguistics (1979, with Deirdre Wilson), The Twitter Machine (1989), The Mind of a Savant (1995, with Ianthi Tsimpli), Chomsky: Ideas and Ideals (Cambridge University Press, 1999, 2nd edition, 2004), Language, Bananas and Bonobos (2002) and Language, Frogs and Savants (2005).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1107662958
• ISBN 13: 9781107662957
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 284