A note on prespeech and early speech coarticulation

Development of consonant + vowel (CV) coarticulation was examined acoustically in two normally developing children. Data of the vocalizations from each child at 11 mos and 20 mos of age were collected. These vocalizations corresponded to prespeech and early speech periods of linguistic development, respectively. A specific CV form, common in each child's prespeech and early speech vocalizations, was selected for analysis. Coarticulation was evaluated by determining the slope of formant 1 (Fl) and formant 2 (F2) transitions following consonant release. The formant transition slopes were found to be “shallower” at 20 mos of age compared to the 11 mos period with the largest developmental change occurring for F1 transitions. Discussion focuses on the intrasyllabic coarticulatory effects characterizing prespeech and early speech development.