Patterns of phonological disability in Cantonese-speaking children in HongKong

Tone, vowel and consonant production are described for a large group of Can tonese-speaking children assessed in speech and language therapy clinics in Hong Kong. The patterns of disability follow predictions made on the basis of work on normal phonological development in Cantonese, and on psychoacou stic factors in acquisition: consonants account for more disability than vo wels, and tones are least problematic. Possible articulatory and auditory c ontributions to explanation of the observed patterns are discussed.