The Basics of Phonology:

Phonology…. good old phonology…. all I can say is that for two years I sat through lectures nodding my head as my lecturer babbled on about phonological this and phonology that… while I had absolutely no clue what it all actually meant. But don’t worry, it FINALLY clicked and I put it all together after my first placement at a primary school in my third year. So I am here to save you a whole lot of confusion and cut the crap, here is the first step to understanding what exactly phonology is.

What is Phonology?

Straight out phonology is the sounds that make up words, /a/, /b/, /c/…/z/ (these sounds are called phonemes) and the way we put these sounds together to make words and sentences.

What Are Phonological Processes?

Phonological processes occur in developing children and are the patterns in their speech, from the time we start to talk to about 5 years old. These processes include when a child says ‘yewo’ instead of ‘yellow’ or ‘nana’ for ‘banana.’ The table below includes all the phonological processes and the age they typically disappear by. Check out the link below as for an amazing table explaining all the phonological processes, it is my SAVIOUR, for all speech students i recommened download this ASAP!!! http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/wpcontent/downloads/forms/phonological_processes.pdf

What is a Phonological Disorder?

A phonological disorder occurs when one of the phonological processes (seen in the table above) does not go away at the typical expected age.

For you students, I hope this means for lecturers will make a little more sense (and like i said before download that table ASAP) and for any parents staring at google trying to understand exactly what is going on i hope this covers the basics for you! And dont worry ill be expanding on this basic explanation and going into wayyyy more detail in future posts.