Phonological Development The First Two Years

"This open-minded, comprehensive overview of the intersecting components of phonological development is a masterpiece that should shape new directions of research for many years to come. Vihman elucidates the many underlying assumptions, some in conflict with one another, that have guided research on phonological development, and lays out clearly the relevance of individual variability in very young children. Vihman's work will cause researchers in the disparate areas of perception, production, word learning, variation, and phonological universals to be informed by each other's results, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of phonological development."-Sharon Inkelas, University of California, Berkeley"Phonological Development: The First Two Years (Second Edition) is essential reading and a primary text for all specialists and students in language development as well as those interested in phonological development in particular. It provides in-depth and up-to-date coverage of all areas of research relevant to understanding phonological development, with comprehensive reviews of both empirical findings and theoretical frameworks. An emphasis is made on the need to relate the development of perception and production, and the study of phonological development to broader areas of language acquisition. Besides eleven chapters, it also contains valuable appendices on protowords and template analyses. To my knowledge it is the most thorough and important book on this topic to date."-David Ingram, Arizona State University"Marilyn Vihman's work unfolds on the center court of child phonology research. This book gives a broad and insightful account of this complex topic--a treatment that is likely to serve, for a long time, as an indispensable reference on the early stages of learning to speak." -Björn Lindblom, Stockholm University"This eagerly awaited second edition masterfully updates Vihman's review of research on earlier themes as well as on several new themes, much of which attests to the profound inspiration of the seminal first edition." -Mary Beckman, Ohio State University