Metathesis
What is metathesis?
The process of interchanging sounds in a given word
Why does metathesis happen?
Metathesis is a well-researched phenomenon in child speech production. It is a very natural step in the earliest stages of speech development and can reveal a lot about the knowledge your child has about their language! When a child produces a word with metathesis, children are tapping into their knowledge of sounds and syllables. Metathesis can occur between adjacent sounds, two sounds that begin or end syllables, or between similar sounds in a word. You may also observe metathesis in combination with other phonological processes outlined on this website. That is also normal for children who are still learning! Find examples of these below!
For example, a child might say....
"aminal" instead of animal
This is an example of metathesis of similar sounds in a word
"aks" instead of ask
This is an example of metathesis of contiguous sounds
"puc" instead of "cup"
This is an example of metathesis of the beginning and ending sounds in the syllable
"elemade" instead of "lemonade"
This is an example of metathesis of contiguous sounds
How can you support your child?
As previously stated, metathesis is a very normal part of child language acquisition and can be observed in child speech as old as 5 years old. Positive evidence and reinforcement are great ways to help your child recognize these switches and can help them learn the more natural order of speech sounds! If your child is over the age of 5 and you are still observing many instances of metathesis, you can always consult your pediatrician or a speech pathologist to discuss your concerns. However, even adult speech has instances of metathesis, so hearing this in your child is not necessarily a cause for immediate concern.