What does gliding refer to in speech development?

Gliding refers to the phonological process where liquid sounds, such as /l/ and /r/, are replaced with glide sounds like /w/ and /j/. This typically occurs in the speech development of young children as they acquire the complexities of language and refine their articulation skills. For example, a child might say "wabbit" instead of "rabbit" or "yike" instead of "like." This substitution is common in the speech of many developing children and usually diminishes as they grow and gain more speech experience.

Understanding this process is essential for speech-language pathologists as it helps in identifying typical speech development patterns versus those that might warrant intervention.