The Scarcity of Speech Errors in Hindi
Publication Date
6-2-2025
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Language Speech and Mind Studies in Honour of Victoria A Fromkin
DOI
10.4324/9781003629610-17
First Page
239
Last Page
253
Abstract
Although there has been scientific interest in speech errors for nearly a century, it is only in the past few decades that there has been a virtual explosion of studies by linguists interested in showing how such errors shed light on issues in linguistic theory (Boomer and Laver 1968; Fromkin 1971, 1973, 1980; MacKay 1972; Fry 1973; Nooteboom 1973; Baars and Motley 1974, 1976; Baars, Motley and MacKay 1975; Baars and MacKay 1978; Cutler 1982; Stemberger 1983; Shattuck-Hufnagel 1983, 1986; Stemberger and Lewis 1986). There seems to be an implicit claim in much of this literature that speech errors should be found in all languages; Fromkin has made this claim explicitly (personal communication). To date, errors have been reported and catalogued primarily for Western Indo-European languages, e.g. German (Meringer and Mayer 1895), Dutch (Nooteboom 1973), English (Fromkin 1971). We are aware of a collection of Japanese speech errors (S. Hiki, personal communication). This still leaves the vast majority of the languages of the world — even language types — unaccounted for, however. Relevant to this is the impression of the first author of this paper, a native speaker of Hindi, that she has never encountered a phonological speech error in Hindi, in her own speech or that of others, that is, a speech error of the type that breaks up parts of words, e.g. spoonerisms of the sort ‘it is kistomary to cuss the bride’ (for ‘… customary to kiss…’).
Department
Linguistics and Language Development
Recommended Citation
Manjari Ohala and John J. Ohala. "The Scarcity of Speech Errors in Hindi" Language Speech and Mind Studies in Honour of Victoria A Fromkin (2025): 239-253. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003629610-17
