Contextual Variables Related to Inconsistent /s/ and /z/ Production in the Spontaneous Speech of Children

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Abstract
The relationship between phonetic context and inconsistent productions of /s/ and /z/ in the spontaneous speech of three approximately three-year-old children was investigated using a nonlexically constrained segmentation, the VC n V syllable. C n represents any number of consonants occurring between two vowels. The results indicate that of the speech segments surrounding /s/ and /z/ only the identity of consonants following these segments was significantly related to the accuracy of /s/ and /z/ production. The implications of the data for models of speech production are discussed.