Greek-speaking children’s developmental patterns of three-member adjunct consonant clusters

Research on Greek adjunct cluster acquisition has mainly examined 2-member clusters (/sC/), with limited attention to developmental patterns in 3-member clusters (/sCC/). This study investigates Greek /spɾ, stɾ, skl/, comparing them with related 2-member clusters (/st, sp, sk, pɾ, tɾ, kl/) to disentangle developmental paths. Data were collected from 161 monolingual Greek children aged 2;0-6;0 using the PAel picture-naming task targeting word-initial clusters. Results reveal cluster-specific distributions across four overlapping stages (Ø, C, CC, CCC), shaped by markedness, sonority, and Greek phonotactics. Entropy analyses show high variability until age 4;0, followed by increasing stability. /spɾ/ achieves earlier 3-member production; /stɾ/ develops more gradually with greater variability; /skl/ emerges later but progresses rapidly. Comparisons indicate unique developmental paths of /sCC/ acquisition rather than a simple extension of /sC/ mastery. These findings refine theoretical models, provide clinical benchmarks for identifying delay, and highlight entropy as a sensitive measure of phonological stabilisation.