Which is another common early phonological process observed in toddlers?

Which is another common early phonological process observed in toddlers?

• A. Assimilation
• B. Elision
• C. Stopping
• D. Velar fronting

Answer: (C)

A common early pattern in toddler speech is simplifying sounds by substituting easier ones. Stopping fits this idea: a child uses a stop consonant (like p, b, t, d) in place of a fricative or affricate (such as s, f, ch, sh, z). Stops are easier to articulate because they involve a simple, complete closure of the vocal tract and a quicker release, which makes them a natural first step as kids develop speech motor skills. For example, a child might say “tun” instead of “sun” or “pish” instead of “fish.” This tendency emerges in the toddler years as part of normal phonological development and often gradually resolves as speech skills mature. Other processes describe different patterns, such as sounds changing due to neighboring sounds (assimilation), dropping a sound (elision), or moving a sound from the back of the mouth to the front (velar fronting).

A common early pattern in toddler speech is simplifying sounds by substituting easier ones. Stopping fits this idea: a child uses a stop consonant (like p, b, t, d) in place of a fricative or affricate (such as s, f, ch, sh, z). Stops are easier to articulate because they involve a simple, complete closure of the vocal tract and a quicker release, which makes them a natural first step as kids develop speech motor skills.

For example, a child might say “tun” instead of “sun” or “pish” instead of “fish.” This tendency emerges in the toddler years as part of normal phonological development and often gradually resolves as speech skills mature.

Other processes describe different patterns, such as sounds changing due to neighboring sounds (assimilation), dropping a sound (elision), or moving a sound from the back of the mouth to the front (velar fronting).