| Summary: | Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. Linguistics Bibliography: leaves 111-117 Children with phonological disorders have difficulty acquiring some of the sound contrasts of their language, and this results in unintelligible speech. In the present study the speech of two children with phonological disorders is analyzed using a nonlinear phonological framework. Nonlinear phonology allows for the independent analysis of segmental and prosodic impairments that are commonly found among phonologically disordered children, while at the same time it allows for an analysis of phonological problems resulting from the interaction of the segmental and prosodic tiers. -- The data demonstrates that segmental and prosodic acquisition occur independently, although some tier interaction is also evident. Segments with a complex structure are acquired later than segments with a simple structure; as well, features found higher in the geometry are acquired before more deeply embedded features. Unmarked syllable and word templates are acquired before those with a more marked structure, such as those with complex onset and coda consonants. This study argues that children with phonological disorders show an acquisition sequence that proceeds along the same path as for children with normally developing phonological systems, but that acquisition occurs at a slower rate for the former group. Furthermore, the present study demonstrates the significance of the nonlinear approach to the analysis of phonologically disordered speech.
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