511 Articulation Theories Flashcards
Theory involving reinforcement and punishment for learning; natural and contrived reinforcement; explains how babies learn “mama” and “dada”
Behaviorist Theory
Sounds emerge according to a predictable hierarchy; we learn by classes of sounds and we shape these into phonemes; involves distinctive features; babbling unrelated to speech development
Structuralist Theory
The distinctive features are in the sounds themselves and then we group them together into classes (Chomsky)
Generative Phonology
Suppression Theory: Learning is based on our physiology and limitations; a baby is born being able to make all the sounds, then we suppress the forms we don’t need
Natural Phonology
Why we know certain sounds don’t go together; we learn syllable shapes and emphasis first; we don’t learn sounds in isolation, we learn them in words; focuses on prosody; Dr. Swift’s “dead cat” story
Non-linear Theory
Explains allophones, they sound slightly different but we innately know they’re the same general sound; we have innate mechanisms: a generator and an evaluator; This is how we tell we’ve made an error; “ranked constraints” governs output
Optimality Theory
The child learns according to characteristics of the word, both segmental and suprasegmental; isolates word and prosody, pays attention to certain aspects of sounds; explains why we have different dialects
Prosodic Theory
Weakest theory, very vague according to Dr. Swift; theorizes that input goes into a “black box” of cognition and output emerges. Theorizes that kids learn the words that they understand the meaning of first
Psycholinguistic Model
Based on the loudness of a sound; kids learn loud sounds first; explains why kids need louder sounds to understand; used in therapy as auditory bombardment where sounds are played 10-15 db higher
Sonority Theory
The child is an active agent in their learning, testing sounds against what they have heard until they reach the correct target; children start with what they can produce (doable shapes, sounds, patterns), then reduce the sounds that are not needed; explains REVERSION during therapy, where you’ve mastered a sound but lose it temporarily when a new sound is introduced; children have to learn how a new sound will fit into their repertoire; explains why when we make up words, they still follow the rules of language that we are familiar with
Cognitive Theory
Early phonological development is a product of innate abilities and tendencies; articulation is a motor skill; “walk before you talk”; kids talk more when they move more
Biological Theory
children drift from babbling into speech
Babbling Drift
Babbling and speech are two entirely separate things
Discontinuity Theory
