Which phonological disfluency involves the omission of sounds to simplify speech?

The correct choice relates to a phonological disfluency known as diminutization, which involves the modification of a word by altering its structure to create a simpler or smaller version. In this context, diminutization often refers to the omission of certain sounds, which helps make the speech more manageable for the speaker, especially in children who are developing their language skills.

For example, a child might say "kitty" instead of "kitten," successfully reducing the complexity of the word. This simplification process allows young speakers to use language that is easier to articulate, aiding in their overall speech development.

The other choices refer to specific processes within phonological development but do not directly center around the idea of omitting sounds to simplify speech in the same way. Velar fronting and liquid gliding pertain to substitutions of sounds, while cluster reduction focuses on the simplification of consonant clusters but does not encapsulate the broader concept of creating diminutive forms of words. Diminutization uniquely captures the essence of simplifying language through sound omission.