Trajectories of faithfulness in child-specific phonology

This paper provides new evidence and analysis of gradual and U-shaped phonological learning. Using a rich longitudinal corpus, we demonstrate that some of Trevor’s consonant harmony follows a statistically significant U-shaped trajectory, in contrast to the more typical S-shaped progression of his complex onsets. We then analyse these two developmental paths using an OT model in which the learner’s variation within and across stages is the effect of stored old productions rather than a variable grammar.

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