The Early Development of Phonological Form.
| Number | 690 |
|---|---|
| Year | 1989 |
| Drawer | 12 |
| Entry Date | 11/15/1999 |
| Authors | Studdert-Kennedy, M . |
| Contact | |
| Publication | In C. von Euler, H. Forssberg, & H. Lagercrantz (Eds.), Neurobiology of Early Infant Behavior (pp. 287-301). Stockton Press; Stockholm. |
| url | http://www.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL0690.pdf |
| Abstract | [Introduction] The scope and flexibility of language, as a system of animal communication, depends on its dual structure. There are two levels of structure: phonology (or sound pattern) and syntax. Both depend on combinatorial rules by which a finite set of elements is repeatedly sampled, and the sampled elements, combined to produce novel utterances. At the level of phonology a small set of meaningless elements (consonants and vowels) is used to construct the very large set of meaningful (or syntactically functional) elements (words, morphemes) that constitute a speaker’s lexicon. At the level of syntax a large, though finite, lexicon is used to construct an infinite set of utterances. Syntax is a hallmark of human language; so too is phonology. Indeed, syntax presupposes phonology, because the capacity to form words is logically, ontogentically and, we must presume, evolutionarily prior to the capacity to form sentences. The present paper is entirely concerned with the development of phonological form. |
| Notes |
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