Which statement correctly identifies phonological non-contrastive approaches?

• A. Non-contrastive approaches rely on establishing frequent sound contrasts
• B. Non-contrastive approaches include cycles, complexity, and core vocabulary
• C. Non-contrastive approaches rely on minimal pair training
• D. Non-contrastive approaches require extensive maximal opposition targets

Answer: (B)

Non-contrastive approaches in phonology aim to change a child’s speech by addressing patterns and everyday use rather than by teaching contrasts between sounds. The cycles approach works by repeatedly targeting a set of phonological processes over time, without pairing sounds in minimal-contrast drills. The complexity approach pushes the child to produce more complex targets to encourage generalization to simpler forms. The core vocabulary approach focuses on high-frequency words to improve functional intelligibility. Together, these methods emphasize pattern-based change and real-world communication rather than establishing phoneme contrasts.

Establishing frequent sound contrasts, minimal pair training, and maximal opposition are contrastive methods that rely on distinguishing one sound from another, which is why they’re not classified as non-contrastive.