The Peer Pressure of Speech Sounds: How Everyday Phonological Processes Impact the Classroom
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Phono- What?
Have you ever wondered why "comfortable" is sometimes pronounced "comfterble"? Or why "strength" can sometimes sound like "strenkth"? These seemingly random variations in pronunciation are actually fascinating examples of phonological processes, the subtle ways in which sounds influence each other during speech production. You might think of these processes as the "peer pressure" surrounding sounds exert on each other..png)
Why do we use processes?
Imagine typing an essay, but you are only allowed to strike the keys precisely on the center, with good finger & wrist posture. Would it take you longer to type? Would it seem awkward and more fatiguing?
Phonological processes, particularly coarticulation, are not random, or even necessarily erroneous, occurrences. They reflect the efficient and dynamic nature of human speech production.
Our speech system is incredibly complex, and coarticulation allows us to produce speech smoothly and quickly by anticipating and adjusting to upcoming sounds. By anticipating the next sound, we can position our articulators (tongue, lips, jaw) in advance, making speech production more efficient and fluid without (usually) impairing the listener's understanding.
While SLPs often focus on phonological processes as patterns of errors in articulation therapy, it's crucial to remember that these processes are also a natural part of everyday speech for all of us.
It's important to remember that when children are sounding out words, they are often applying phonological processes, just as we all do in everyday speech. This means their pronunciations (and spellings) may not always perfectly match the standard pronunciation, but rather reflect the natural and dynamic nature of spoken language.
It's important to remember that when children are sounding out words, they are often applying phonological processes, just as we all do in everyday speech. This means their pronunciations (and spellings) may not always perfectly match the standard pronunciation, but rather reflect the natural and dynamic nature of spoken language.
This blog post will explore key phonological processes that are frequently used everyday, like coarticulation, assimilation, epenthesis, and elision, and discuss how understanding these processes can benefit both teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in the classroom.
The "Peer Pressure" of Speech Sounds
Assimilation: Similar Sounds Mesh
Assimilation is a specific type of coarticulation where two similarly produced sounds are meshed, just as in the above image where the octagon and circle (similar shapes) combine. Referring to our title, we might think about friends who spend a lot of time together, who often start to share similar mannerisms.
Example: "Ten plus two" often becomes "tem plus two" where the /n/ becomes more like the following /p/ sound. In "I miss you", the /s/ is produced with the palatal gesture of the /j/ "y", and becomes more like the /ʃ/ "sh" sound.
Coproduction: Sounds Overlap
In coproduction, another type of coarticulation, sounds that use different articulators can be overlapped, illustrated above by the two circles overlapping, where both circles can still be seen fully. Using our analogy of typing, this would be anticipating the next key and positioning your finger accordingly before the current keystroke is fully completed.
Example: Lips begin to round for the /u/ in "suit" while still producing the /s/. Words ending with a vowel + nasal, such as "can", often have some nasality in the vowel.
Epenthesis: Adding Sounds
Epenthesis involves the insertion of a sound that doesn't exist in the underlying form of a word, illustrated above by two shapes becoming three. Imagine trying to keep your pants up. You could use a belt, you could use suspenders, or you could even add a small clip to help keep them in place. Epenthesis is similar – it's like adding a small "clip" (an extra sound) to a word to make it easier to pronounce.
Example: "Athlete" may be pronounced as "ath-uh-lete." "Tenth" often has a slight /t/ sound between the /n/ and /θ/.
Elision is the omission of a sound within a word, just as one of the shapes above has been omitted. Imagine you have a pair of pants that are slightly too long. To make them fit better, you might hem them, essentially "deleting" a portion of the fabric. Elision is similar – sounds are "deleted" or omitted from words during speech to make them easier and quicker to pronounce
Why Do These Processes Matter in the Classroom?
Understanding phonological processes is crucial for both teachers and SLPs, as it provides valuable insights into the complexities of speech, language, and literacy development. Here are some key benefits:
Activities for the Classroom:
Elision: Deleting Sounds
Elision is the omission of a sound within a word, just as one of the shapes above has been omitted. Imagine you have a pair of pants that are slightly too long. To make them fit better, you might hem them, essentially "deleting" a portion of the fabric. Elision is similar – sounds are "deleted" or omitted from words during speech to make them easier and quicker to pronounce
Example: Frequently, the omission of one of two /r/ sounds in a word, such as "caterpillar" or "governor," the removal of the middle "e" in "camera", "gonna" instead of "going to", or "dunno" for "don't know". In fact, contractions are really a form of elision themselves!
Why Do These Processes Matter in the Classroom?
Understanding phonological processes is crucial for both teachers and SLPs, as it provides valuable insights into the complexities of speech, language, and literacy development. Here are some key benefits:Improved Reading:
- Understanding how sounds change in speech is crucial for developing strong reading skills. Recognizing that sounds can influence each other helps students bridge the gap between spoken and written language.
- Coarticulation plays a key role in fluent reading. By understanding how sounds are produced and how they influence each other, students can anticipate how words will sound when spoken, making reading more fluent and accurate.
- For example, understanding that the /t/ in "butter" may be pronounced as a flap helps students anticipate and decode the word more easily. This knowledge allows students to become more flexible and adaptable readers, able to recognize words in a variety of spoken contexts.
- Furthermore, understanding phonological processes can help students navigate the complexities of dialect in literature. By recognizing that sounds can change in different ways depending on the speaker's background and region, students can better understand and appreciate the diversity of spoken language and how it is represented in written form.
Enhanced Phonics Instruction:
- Phonological processes help explain the "why" behind seemingly inconsistent spelling rules. For example, understanding elision can help students understand why "camera" is spelled with an "a" even though it's often pronounced "cam-ra."
- This knowledge empowers teachers to go beyond rote memorization of phonics rules. By understanding the underlying reasons for these rules, teachers can provide more meaningful and insightful phonics instruction.
- Teachers can use this knowledge to address common student misconceptions about spelling. For example, if students consistently misspell words with frequent elisions, teachers can explicitly address these patterns and help students understand the connection between pronunciation and spelling.
Spelling:
- Understanding phonological processes can help students become more aware of the discrepancies between how words are spoken and how they are written. For example, knowing that the /t/ in "butter" might be pronounced as a flap can help students understand why it's still spelled with a "t."
- Phonological processes can explain why some words are spelled differently than they sound. For instance, knowing about elision can help students understand why "camera" can be pronounced "cam-ra" and why the spelling reflects the full pronunciation.
- This knowledge can help teachers identify patterns in students' spelling errors and provide targeted interventions. For example, if a student consistently omits sounds that are often elided in speech, teachers can provide specific instruction and practice to address this pattern.
Phonemic Awareness:
- Understanding phonological processes helps students develop a deeper awareness of the sounds that make up words. By recognizing how sounds can change and interact within words, students become more attuned to the subtle nuances of speech.
- This enhanced awareness of individual sounds is crucial for developing strong phonemic awareness skills. Phonemic awareness, the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in words, is a foundational skill for reading and writing development.
.png "How we make sounds: oral anatomy")
Essential for the Understanding of Processes:
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Before students can truly grasp the intricacies of phonological processes, they must have a solid foundation in the basics of speech sound production. Understanding place, manner, and voice is paramount.
Place refers to where in the mouth the sound is produced (e.g., alveolar ridge, lips). Manner refers to how the sound is produced (e.g., stop, fricative, nasal). Voice refers to whether the vocal cords vibrate during sound production.
This knowledge is essential for recognizing how sounds influence each other and understanding why certain changes occur. For example, to understand why the /n/ in "ten plus two" assimilates to an /m/, students need to know that both /m/ and /p/ sounds are produced with the lips.
See my recent blog post, Developing Phonological Awareness: Phoneme Categorization by Place, Manner, and Voice, for more information on speech sound production!
Activities for the Classroom:
Minimal Pair Activities: Use minimal pairs (words that differ by only one phoneme) to explore how sound changes affect meaning.
Sound Sorting: Have students sort words based on how sounds change within them, or where a sound is made.
Read Aloud: Encourage students to pay attention to how sounds change during reading.
Discussion: Discuss with students how sounds change when speaking carefully or when in a hurry. Discuss different dialects and accents.
Sound Sorting: Have students sort words based on how sounds change within them, or where a sound is made.
Read Aloud: Encourage students to pay attention to how sounds change during reading.
Discussion: Discuss with students how sounds change when speaking carefully or when in a hurry. Discuss different dialects and accents.
Identify Examples: Find more examples of the above processes, and have students read them carefully with good enunciation, then have them say them quickly, as if talking to a friend. Have students identify what sounds changed.
Tongue Twisters: Use tongue twisters to explore how sounds interact. Have students identify WHY the tongue twister was difficult!
Conclusion
By explicitly teaching students about the "peer pressure" among sounds – how they influence and shape each other – we can help them become more aware of the subtle nuances of speech. This awareness can significantly enhance their understanding and use of speech, language, and literacy, ultimately leading to more confident readers and writers.Happy Exploring!
Mrs. Speech
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