Using detailed analyses of cross-generational case studies, Smith explains the acquisition of language phonology by children.

Neil Smith is Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at University College London. His previous publications include The Acquisition of Phonology (Cambridge University Press, 1973), Modern Linguistics (1979, with Deirdre Wilson), The Twitter Machine (1989), The Mind of a Savant (1995, with Ianthi Tsimpli), Chomsky: Ideas and Ideals (Cambridge University Press, 1999, 2nd edition, 2004), Language, Bananas and Bonobos (2002) and Language, Frogs and Savants (2005).

Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Preliminaries; 2. The main claims of Smith (1973) and the evidence for them; 3. Competing theories; 4. Z and his development; 5. The nature of the acquisition of phonology; 6. Diachronic lexicon of Z data; 7. Appendices; 8. References; 9. Index.