Feature co-occurrence constraints in acquisition

Abstract

This chapter proposes that an account of the acquisition of the segment inventory cannot be successful if it targets solely the representational side, as previous accounts have tended to do. However, both representation and derivation (computation) are necessary and integral parts of any phonological system. With this in mind, the chapter puts forth a framework in which the acquisition of distinctive features develops in tandem with a set of highly simple constraints that govern how these features may combine to form segments. Using only monovalent features and binary Feature Co-occurrence Constrains, it is shown that the acquisition of the Dutch consonant inventory can be successfully accounted for.