Processes and intelligibility in disordered phonology

Abstract

Phonological process analysis is currently the most widely used analytical procedure for the investigation of phonological development in children. This study investigated the phonological processes in four Brazilian children with phonological disorders. The purpose of the study was to identify the phonological processes, their prevalence, strength and their relative contribution to the intelligibility of the subjects' speech. Results reveal differential effects of sequential and substitution processes and of the consistency/variability of the application of those processes. Results also confirm the common patterns reported in the literature on children with phonological disorders, such as consonant cluster reduction and simplifications of liquids and fricatives. Results also show, however, the existence of some differences, which we believe are due to language-specific features.