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Inappropriate abstraction in speech‐assessment procedures
Author(s) -
CARNEY EDWARD
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
international journal of language and communication disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.101
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1460-6984
pISSN - 1368-2822
DOI - 10.3109/13682827909011352
Subject(s) - abstraction , feature (linguistics) , psychology , linguistics , scheme (mathematics) , distinctive feature , cognitive psychology , natural language processing , computer science , epistemology , philosophy , mathematical analysis , mathematics
Summary Assessment of speech based on data recorded in terms of phonemes or distinctive features is shown to be unsafe, because the level of abstraction can obscure the phonetic facts. One American scheme of distinctive feature assessment is considered in detail. A comparison is made between distinctive feature gradings of speech errors, E.A.T. gradings and gradings made from structuralist criteria. The conclusion is that deviancy is such a complex notion that the therapist must take into account a number of different assessment criteria. The theoretical linguist cannot provide an automatic fail‐safe device for speech assessment. Several colleagues have been kind enough to criticize this paper. I am particularly grateful for the detailed comments of Alan Cruttenden and William Haas.