Le développement des compétences métaphonologiques chez l’enfant: rôle du contexte et de la signification

How do children use their metaphonological competences when phonemes are inserted in their natural context, i.e. words and utterances produced by speakers? 56 children aged 5 to 9 were faced with (i) a classical task of phoneme manipulation (suppression); (ii) a dialogue between puppets, where a speaker makes lapsus (saying a word instead another). The child had to detect and correct it and to justify his correction. Results show differences inter- and intratask. Lapsus phonological corrections are performed by children earlier than correct phoneme manipulation. Moreover lapsus corrections are influenced by the linguistic context. Among various types of arguments observed, metalinguistic ones appear relatively late and increase with age. They are not influenced by the linguistic context. Intraindividual analysis shows a clear hierarchy between lapsus phonological corrections and metalinguistic arguments. The observed «déca-lages» lead us to revisit the concept of phonological awareness.