Phonological development: toward a “radical” templatic phonology

TLDR

Radical templatic phonology proposes that words are represented by language‑specific phonotactic templates, a hypothesis supported by evidence of template‑based organization in children across languages and by the view that adult segment categories are defined by their positions within such templates rather than as universal features. The study aims to present cross‑linguistic evidence of pervasive variation in phonetic realization and phonological distribution that supports the template construct. The authors model template formation as a usage‑based induction process driven by babbling practice and exposure to adult phonological patterns. The study finds that child‑derived templates reconcile target word models with the child's phonetic repertoire, extending initial word forms and closely matching adult patterns, and that cross‑linguistic variation in phonetic realization and distribution supports the template construct.

Abstract

“Radical” templatic phonology is a template-based approach to segmental phonological representation. The central hypothesis is that the segmental phonological structure of words is represented as language-specific phonotactic templates, in the sense used in the developmental literature. Template-based organization of the early lexicon has been identified in children acquiring several different languages. It is the result of a usage-based abstracting or “induction” process based on both babbling practice (phonetic production) and input experience with specific adult phonological patterns. The resulting templates thus constitute patterns that reconcile (or “adapt”) the model provided by target words with the child's own phonetic repertoire of syllables or word shapes — typically extending or building on the forms initially “selected” for first word production, in which adult and child forms show a close match. In adult phonology segment categories — natural classes, or features — are best defined in terms of their occurrence in positions in the templates in individual languages, not as independent universal categories. After reviewing the status of segment categories and their phonetic basis in contemporary phonological theory we present crosslinguistic evidence of pervasive variation in both phonetic realization and phonological distribution patterns, evidence that supports the template construct.