Chapter 5 Discussion
5.4 Concluding remarks
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process (Z=1.71, P<.05*). One possible explanation for the preference of substitution
process used by both groups of children when producing the labiopalatal [ɥ] is that
the [ɥ] sound is a marked sound which was acquired relatively late. Therefore, by the
time the labiopalatal [ɥ] emerged, the palatal [j] and [w] had already reached a certain
level of stability. Moreover, the substitution process was found to be used by older
children (Zhu, 2002). As a result, when children were about to produce the
labiopalatal [ɥ], they normally had the two abilities in hand, to produce unmarked
glides [j, w] and to use substitution process.
One of the children in the phonologically-disordered group namely LL used
more substitution in the labiovelar [w], which differs from the normally-developing
group of children. This finding is attributed to the odd patterns detected in his
production since he constantly replaced the earlier acquired labiovelar [w] with the
later acquired labiopalatal [ɥ]. Therefore, the number of substitution is higher than in
the labiovelar [w].
5.4 Concluding remarks
The purpose of the present study is to report the developmental order of three
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Mandarin glides [w, j, ɥ] in terms of three word positions, word-initially,
word-medially, and word-finally, and further compare the normative data with
phonological disorder data in order to explore the possible different processes
between the two groups of children. A longitudinal study was carried out for the
investigation of two normally-developing children, aged between 0;9-2;4 and
0;10-2;4, and two phonologically-disordered children, one of whom is between 4;3
and 4;9, and the other between 3;10 and 4;3.
In response to the first research question, the order and the emergence order of
each glides in relation to positions are as follows:
(c) Post [j] >>> I [w] >>> I [j]/ Pre [j]/ Post [w] >>> Pre [w] >>> Pre [ɥ] >>> I [ɥ]
(WW)
(d) I [j]/ Pre [j]/ Post [j]/ I [w]/ Post [w] >>> Pre [w] >>> I [ɥ] >>> Pre [ɥ] (NN)
The emergence order of the three glides presented in (c) and (d) suggests that it is not
directly influenced by the positional factor. Rather, it is more related to the level of
markedness of the sounds itself. The [j] and [w] in three positions emerged at similar
period while the [ɥ] sounds in two positions appear relatively late.
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The second research question is concerned with the order of stabilization of the
three glides in relation to three positions. The results of the order are presented below:
(3e) I [w] >> I [j] >> Pre [j]/ Post [w] >> Post [j] >> I [ɥ] >> Pre [w] >> Pre [ɥ]
(3f) I [j] >> I [w] / Pre [j] >> I [ɥ] / Pre [w] >> Post [w] >> Pre [ɥ] >> Post [j]
We found that the glides in initial positions were the first to stabilize in the children’s
system and were produced with fewer errors; furthermore, the order of development
of the three glides without considering the position factors is accordance with the
vowel developmental order found in previous studies. The results showed that the
markedness constraint predominates the glide development and the positional
prominence hierarchy regulates under it (Jakobson, 1914/1968; Greenberg, 1966;
Jiménez & Lloret, 2013). The interactions between the markedness constraint and
positional prominence hierarchy are reflected in children’s developmental order of
glides.
The third research question is concerned with the glide performance in the two
groups and the phonological processes used by the phonologically-disordered child.
The findings indicated that the glides in the syllable initial position are more resistant
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to errors, similar to the results found in the normative data. The three phonological
processes found in both of the groups are deletion, substitution, and metathesis, in
which the deletion process is most commonly seen in children’s data; however, the
most commonly seen process for labiopalatal [ɥ] is substitution. Moreover, we also
found that the phonologically-disordered group of children consistently replaced the
presumably later-developing [ɥ] with the presumably earlier-developing [w].
Concerning the phonotactic constraints in Taiwan Mandarin, the child from the
phonologically-disordered group produced sound sequence like *kʰɥ that violate the
phonotactic constraints of Taiwan Mandarin, whereas the child from the
normally-developing group tends to follow the Taiwan Mandarin’s phonotactic
constraints.
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