Interjected sounds in deaf children's speech

Abstract

Recordings and phonetic transcriptions of deaf children's speech were examined for nonstandard interjected elements associated with consonant production. Vowel release of both stop consonants and fricatives is found in word-final position and between abutting or normally blended sounds, particularly where assimilation ordinarily occurs, such as between stops or between a stop and fricative. A lateral /1/ is also used as a release. Stop positions are arrived at too slowly, introducing a fricative of similar place and voice. A stop released with overeffort produces an affricate. A fricative may be preceded by a stop of similar place and voice. Cessation of nasality without movement from a position produces a plosive following the nasal sound. Extra nasals are inserted before or after a stop in the same place. The substitutions in deaf children's speech often result from undershoot of the articulatory target. Some interjected elements apparently represent overshoot, which may be due to conscious effort at articulatory placement, while others stem from slowness of movement of the articulators.