fis phenomenon

noun

The observation that a child's perception of phonemes occurs earlier than the ability to produce them.

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Meanings

noun
  1. human sciencesThe observation that a child's perception of phonemes occurs earlier than the ability to produce them.

Origin

From an incident reported in 1960 by J. Berko and R. Brown. A child referred to his inflatable plastic fish as a fis, but rejected adults' statements that used the same mispronunciation.

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Cite this entry
APA

fis phenomenon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fis%20phenomenon

MLA

“fis phenomenon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fis%20phenomenon. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fis phenomenon,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fis%20phenomenon.

Source: fis phenomenon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.