Phonetic and phonological aspects of English affricate production in children with speech disorders

In this paper we consider phonetic and phonological aspects of the English voiceless affricate /t integral of/ as it is realised by children with developmental speech disorders. The speakers described in the study have normal /t/ but disordered /integral of/ and /t integral of/. Using electropalatography (Reading EPG), we compare the stop and fricative phases of /t integral of/ to independent /t/ and /integral of/. This comparison shows that the place of articulation of /t integral of/ can be predicted from that of independent /integral of/. There is a strict requirement for the affricate's stop release to be homorganic with its fricative phase, irrespective of the place of articulation of independent /t/. Sometimes, there is also an observable coronal gesture during the stop phase of a dorsal affricate indicating the influence of independent /t/. This is predicted by phonological theories in which the affricate is related to both /t/ and /integral of/ but not by theories in which the affricate is merely the stop counterpart go /integral of/.