On Describing Idiosyncratic Phonologic Systems

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Abstract
A phone distribution procedure for analyzing idiosyncratic phonologic systems in children is applied to a phonologically impaired child's distribution of alveolar and velar stops. Results show that these stops occur in complementary distribution: Alveolar stops occur before high vowels and velar stops occur before nonhigh vowels. It is further demonstrated that phonologic process analysis fails to reveal this unusual distribution of alveolar and velar stops. Thus, it is argued that phonologic process analysis must necessarily be supplemented by other procedures capable of detecting and describing unusual distribution patterns in order to achieve an accurate clinical diagnosis and to select the most appropriate target for a successful clinical treatment program.