title: The interaction of ambient frequency and feature complexity in the diphthong errors of children with phonological disorders.
abstract: This study examined the interaction of ambient frequency and feature complexity in the diphthong errors produced by Cantonese-speaking children with phonological disorders. A total of 611 diphthongs produced by 13 Cantonese-speaking children with speech disorders were subjected to perceptual analysis. The percentage accuracy of production and error patterns was examined. Perceptual analysis showed that /(see text)i/ and /ui/ were most frequently in error, whereas /ei/, /ou/, and /(see text)u/ were least frequently in error. Diphthong errors (usually diphthong reduction) arise as a function of both ambient frequency and feature complexity. The combination of ambient frequency and feature complexity yields a complexity metric reflecting accuracy of production. Treatment guidelines include consideration of three basic factors: ambient frequency, feature complexity, and error patterns.
authors.affiliation: University of Hong Kong, China. s.stokes@unn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Stephanie F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Stokes
authors.forename: Jessica Tse-kay
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Valter
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ciocca
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002663:Child Language; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007802:Language; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008037:Linguistics / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement