importance of phonotactics

1- By knowing the permissible sequences of phonemes found in specific positions within

words, this could constitute valuable information for locating word boundaries in the
speech stream. For instance, the sequence [br] is generally located at the beginning of a
word, whereas the sequence [nt] is typically found at word end. Knowledge of how
phonotactic patterns are distributed in the input could be important in isolating words
from the speech stream. (Brent & Cartwright, 1996; Cairns, Shillcock, Chater, & Levy,
1997; Church, 1987).

2- In one of their experiments, Myers et al. (1996) noted that the presence of phonotactic
cues may have helped English-learning 10.5-month-olds to detect interruptions
artificially inserted into weak/strong words. More direct evidence comes from a study by
Friederici and Wessels (1993).

3- The predictors of the order of phonological acquisition that we have identified –

phonotactic range, and the subsegmental elements “R” and “?” – have implications for
diagnosis of delayed or distorted phonological production, for the construction of
stimulus materials for therapy, and for the order of improvement, spontaneous or guided.
The information contained in simple bigrams emphasises the fact that normal
development may proceed by access to spoken language through a minimal length
window, at least initially (cf. Elman, 1993).

4- The distribution of consonants and phonotactics constraints is important when we are

conducting a phonemic analysis. Thus this would help the linguist in studying new
language by understanding the phonemic system and its function in that language.
5- Phonotactics is also a very important factor in analyzing the disordered phonological
system of children and adults. In this respect, the functions of the phonemic system that is
displayed by the individual with a speech-disorder are figured out.
Distribution and phonotactic constraints can be applied to an independent or a relational
analysis and then the distribution of phonemes is analyzed by noting the segments
relative to their occurrence as syllable-initiating or syllable-terminating sounds.

For example, if a child says [boʊ] for ‘boat’ but he says [toʊ] for ‘toe’, we can conclude
through this process that the child uses /b/ and /t/ to initiate syllables and /t/ is not used
terminating a syllable (Waengler, 2009: 304).

6- Point in Gimson p. 238