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Acoustic cues to coda stop voicing contrasts in Australian English-speaking children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2021

Julien MILLASSEAU Open the ORCID record for Julien MILLASSEAU [Opens in a new window] ,
Ivan YUEN ,
Laurence BRUGGEMAN  and
Katherine DEMUTH
Julien MILLASSEAU*
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Australia 16 University Avenue, Australian Hearing Hub, North Ryde, NSW2109Australia
Ivan YUEN
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Australia 16 University Avenue, Australian Hearing Hub, North Ryde, NSW2109Australia
Laurence BRUGGEMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Australia 16 University Avenue, Australian Hearing Hub, North Ryde, NSW2109Australia The MARCS Institute & ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Western Sydney University, Australia
Katherine DEMUTH
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Australia 16 University Avenue, Australian Hearing Hub, North Ryde, NSW2109Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: Julien Millasseau, Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, 16 University Avenue, Australian Hearing Hub, North Ryde, NSW2109Australia E-mail julien.millasseau@mq.edu.au
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Abstract

While voicing contrasts in word-onset position are acquired relatively early, much less is known about how and when they are acquired in word-coda position, where accurate production of these contrasts is also critical for distinguishing words (e.g., dog vs. dock). This study examined how the acoustic cues to coda voicing contrasts are realized in the speech of 4-year-old Australian English-speaking children. The results showed that children used similar acoustic cues to those of adults, including longer vowel duration and more frequent voice bar for voiced stops, and longer closure and burst durations for voiceless stops along with more frequent irregular pitch periods. This suggests that 4-year-olds have acquired productive use of the acoustic cues to coda voicing contrasts, though implementations are not yet fully adult-like. The findings have implications for understanding the development of phonological contrasts in populations for whom these may be challenging, such as children with hearing loss.

Keywords

Coda stop voicingAustralian EnglishChildrenAdults
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 48 , Issue 6 , November 2021 , pp. 1262 - 1280
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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