Persistence of the Open Syllable Reinterpreted as a Symptom of Language Disorder

Abstract

Renfrew in 1966 hypothesized that the “persistent open syllable” (misarticulation or omission of syllable final consonants) was symptomatic of a unique articulation disorder resistant to conventional articulation therapies. Examination of relevant syllable data drawn from the clinical literature suggests a more extensive disorder of phonology and language, in which the syllable grammar is generally simplified through the use of elementary and, according to Jakobson, universal syllable shapes and phonic features. Evidence of “global language deficit” and the need to consider broader-based linguistic approaches to therapy are discussed.

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