| ROA: | 471 |
|---|---|
| Title: | U-Shaped Learning in Phonological Development |
| Authors: | Joseph Stemberger, Barbara Bernhardt, Carolyn Johnson |
| Comment: | |
| Length: | 13 |
| Abstract: | Most theories of learning presuppose that a child's system changes to become more like the adult system. Learning algorithms are designed to yield that result. However, children sometimes show u-shaped learning, in which some aspect of the system becomes less like the adult system than it had previously been. We discuss a complex set of changes from one child, all in word-final position, involving (a) the splitting of rounded vowels into an unrounded vowel plus [m], (b) the insertion of word-final [h], and (c) the insertion of word-final schwa. We test three approaches to learning in OT: Tesar and Smolensky; Boersma and Hayes; and Bernhardt and Stemberger. We also examine connectionist approaches. We argue that the approaches of Tesar and Smolensky and of Boersma and Hayes are unable to account for the observed developmental changes. Learning models that are less deterministic fare better. |
| Type: | Paper/tech report |
| Area/Keywords: | Language Acquisition,Phonology,Learnability |
| Article: | Version 1 |