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The Phonetics of Cat and Mama

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2026

William and
Teresa Labov
William
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University
Teresa Labov
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University
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Abstract

The six-month period following the first use of words by Jessie L. was dominated by two one-word utterances, cat and mama. A near-total record of her use of these words, along with several minor lexical items, is the basis of a detailed analysis of her acquisition of phonetic and phonological capacities. The apparent plateau of the second year is a site of intensive language-learning, which is not reflected in the growth of vocabulary or mean length of utterance.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 54 , Issue 4 , December 1978, pp. 816 - 852
Copyright
Copyright © 1978 by Linguistic Society of America

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