Syllable Onsets II

Abstract

This study extends the application of the Sonority Sequencing Principle, as reported in J. A. Gierut (1999), to acquisition of word-initial 3-element clusters by children with functional phonological delays (ages in years;months: 3;4 to 6;3). The representational structure of 3-element clusters is complex and unusual because it consists of an s-adjunct plus a branching onset, which respectively violate and conform to the Sonority Sequencing Principle. Given the representational asymmetry, it is unclear how children might learn these clusters in treatment or whether such treatment may even be effective. Results of a single-subject staggered multiple-baseline experiment demonstrated that children learned the treated 3-element cluster in treatment but showed no further generalization to similar types of (asymmetric) onsets. Treatment of 3-element clusters did, however, result in widespread generalization to untreated singletons, including affricates. Moreover, there was differential generalization to untreated 2-element clusters, with individual differences being traced to the composition of children's singleton inventories. Theoretically, the results suggest a segmental-syllabic interface that holds predictive potential for determining the effectiveness and effects of clinical treatment as based on the notion of linguistic complexity.

Training pseudoword reading in acquired dyslexia: a phonological complexity approach

“…These findings indicate that training “simple” consonant clusters with large sonority differences between consonants (e.g., /pl/) does not result in generalization to untrained “complex” consonant clusters with smaller sonority differences between consonants (e.g., /gl/). This finding, again, is in keeping with other linguistic complexity training studies (Ebbels, et al, 2007; Gierut, 1999; Gierut & Champion, 2001; Kiran & Thompson, 2003b; Thompson, et al, 2003); that is, generalization to untrained items does not occur when linguistically “simple” material is trained. Training phonologically “simple” targets resulted in improvement only on target items.…”

“…Participants C1 and C2 were trained on the same “complex” consonant cluster (/gl/) and both generalized to “simple” clusters (participant C1 to /pl/; participant C2 to /kl/), indicating that training influenced production of clusters within the “simple” category, not limited to one specific cluster. In keeping with the results of other complexity-based training studies of aphasic naming deficits (Kiran, 2007; Kiran & Thompson, 2003b), sentence production and comprehension impairments (Ebbels, et al, 2007; Thompson & Shapiro, 2007; Thompson, et al, 2003), and developmental phonological disorders (Gierut, 1999; Gierut, 2007; Gierut & Champion, 2001), these findings indicate that generalization to linguistically “simple” targets occurs when linguistically “complex” items are trained, and when the simple and complex items are linguistically related to one another. In the domain of acquired phonological dyslexia oral reading was improved using sonority as an index of complexity, training “complex” consonant clusters with small sonority differences between consonants results in generalization to untrained “simple” consonant clusters with larger sonority differences between consonants.…”

“…The present findings indicate that consideration of phonological complexity in selection of treatment stimuli and hierarchical entry of selected items into treatment, with complex structures trained first, is an important aspect of treatment of reading deficits. Indeed, research examining the effects of phonological treatment for children with developmental phonological disorders has shown acquisition of targeted consonant clusters as well as generalization to untrained phonologically-related items in consonant cluster speech production (Gierut, 1999; Gierut, 2007; Gierut & Champion, 2001). The current experiment expands this finding to treatment of reading disorders.…”

“…Maas and colleagues (2002) successfully trained three-consonant clusters and found generalization to less complex clusters and/or consonant singletons in adults with acquired apraxia of speech. Similarly, Gierut and Champion (2001) trained children with phonological disorders using three-consonant clusters and observed generalization to consonant singletons as well as limited generalization to some two-consonant clusters. Most relevant to the current study, studies training children with phonological disorders have demonstrated that clusters with a small sonority difference are more complex than clusters with a larger sonority difference (Gierut, 1999).…”

Neuroplasticity of Language Networks in Aphasia: Advances, Updates, and Future Challenges

“…The construct of complexity has emerged as a general principle that is relevant to treating a range of language disorders in both children and adults (177, 178, 182–184). While challenging the longstanding clinical notion that treatment should begin with simple structures, the Complexity Account of Treatment Efficacy (CATE); (185) points to the facilitative effects of using more complex structures as a starting point for treatment.…”