Phonology-theories

Question 1

Berko and Brown

Answer 1

1960 study regarding mispronunciation & mis perception. The child could distinguish between ‘fis’ and ‘fish’ but could only say ‘fis’ and would not accept adult pronunciation of ‘fis’. Not due to mis perception, instead to under developed anatomical ability to use articulatory organs.

Question 2

Skinner

Answer 2

Skinners operant conditioning theory suggests phonological features are acquired through imitation and reinforcement. He was an experimental psychologist and carried out linguistic studies in the 1950s, his results suggest that adults shape children’s speech through developmental stages by selectively reinforcing correct utterances. One of the main evidences supporting this is accents, as it is unlikely that a child’s accent came from inborn mental abilities to produce language and they are often the same as their parents/environment.