Nonlinear phonological analysis in assessment of protracted phonological development in Mandarin Utilisation de l’analyse phonologique non linéaire dans l’évaluation des retards du développement phonologique en mandarin

Abstract Nonlinear phonological theories have motivated phonological assessment and intervention practices for English for two decades (e.g., Bernhardt & Stoel-Gammon, 1994; Bernhardt & Stemberger, 2000). Such practices focus on all aspects of the phonological system from word structure to segments (phonemes) and features, highlighting and capitalizing on a client’s strengths while addressing his or her needs. The authors and several other international researchers are currently investigating typical and protracted phonological development cross-linguistically, and creating phonological assessment tools for the various languages in the process. The current paper demonstrates a qualitative nonlinear phonological analysis for Mandarin, utilizing data from a Canadian Mandarin-learning child with protracted phonological development.