Generative Phonology in the Digital Literacy Era: An Analysis of Elementary School Students Phonemic Errors in Educational Audio Production

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the phonemic errors produced by elementary school students in creating educational audio content using a generative phonology framework and to examine their implications for language learning strategies in the digital literacy era. The research employs a qualitative approach with a literature review method. Data were gathered from various national and international scientific publications related to phonology, phonemic errors, and technology-based learning. The findings indicate that the most frequent phonemic errors include substitution, elision, and epenthesis, influenced by mother tongue interference, low phonological awareness, and the limited availability of digital pronunciation training media. In the context of elementary education, these findings underline the need for technology-based pedagogical innovations such as phoneme analysis applications, audio peer review, and the integration of phonological exercises in digital literacy tasks. Thus, generative phonology learning in the digital era must not only emphasise theoretical understanding of sound patterns, but also the students’ ability to reflect on, analyse, and correct their own pronunciation through interactive and adaptive digital media.