TRUNCATION PATTERNS IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING CHILDRENS WORD PRODUCTIONS

This study examines English-speaking children's truncation patterns (i .e., syllable deletion patterns) in multisyllabic words to determine i f they are consistent with metrical constraints or perceptual biases. It also examines segmental influences on children's truncations. Child ren, age 22-34 months, produced three-syllable novel and real words an d four-syllable real words, which varied across stress and segmental p attern. Results revealed a significant stress pattern effect on trunca tion rate, but Findings were not consistent with metrical or perceptua l salience predictions. The dearest account of the findings came from an analysis of truncation rate across individual words: Children trunc ated WSW (weak-strong-weak) words and words that contained intervocali c sonorants more frequently than other words. Analysis of truncation p atterns in SWW and SWSW words revealed that final unstressed syllables were more frequently preserved than nonfinal unstressed syllables. Fi ndings support the interaction between metrical, syllabic, and acousti c salience factors in children's multisyllabic word productions.