Chapter 8. Stress Production in Derived English Words as a Developmental Window

Accuracy of stress production in derived words improves during the primary school years; however, little is known about the error patterns in production of derived words, particularly in children with known phonologically-based reading problems. In this chapter, theoretical accounts of lexical stress (i.e., metrical phonology) and derivation (lexical phonology) are discussed. Next, a descriptive study of derived word errors in stress placement, syllabification, and segments in 3rd and 5th grade typically developing children and a group of children with dyslexia is presented. Stress accuracy in derived words by the children with dyslexia was similar to younger children. Error profiles revealed that children with dyslexia made proportionally more errors in syllabification than did either typically developing group. Inaccurate syllabification might negatively affect both stress assignment and lexical access.