Word-initial rhotic clusters in Spanish-speaking preschoolers in Chile and Granada, Spain

Versión aceptada Versión online publicada en 2017 Versión Print publicada en 2018The current paper describes Spanish acquisition of rhotic onset clusters. Data are also provided on related singleton taps/trills and /l/ as a single ton and in clusters. Participants included 9 typically developing (TD) toddlers and 30 TD preschoolers in Chile, and 30 TD preschoolers and 29 with protracted phonological development (PPD) in Granada, Spain. Results showed age and developmental group effects. Preservation of cluster timing units preceded segmental accuracy, especially in stressed syllables. Tap clusters versus singleton trills were variable in order of mastery, some children mastering clusters first, and others, the trill. Rhotics were acquired later than /l/. In early development, mismatches (errors) involved primarily deletion of taps; where substitutions occurred, [j] frequently replaced tap. In later development, [l] more frequently replaced tap; where taps did occur, vowel epenthesis sometimes occurred. The data serve as a criterion reference database for onset cluster acquisition in Chilean and Granada Spanish.Thank you also for funding by the: - Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant 410-2009-0348, - Programa FONDECYT de la Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica CONICYT [National Commission for Scientific and Technological Investigation] in Chile. - Junta de Andalucía in Spain, Grupo de Investigación Hum-605, Logopedia Experimental y Aplicada [Experimental and applied speech-language pathology]

Tutorial:Speech assessment for multilingual children who do not speak the same language(s) as the speech-language pathologist

Purpose: The aim of this tutorial is to support speech language pathologists (SLPs) undertaking assessments of multilingual children with suspected speech sound disorders, particularly children who speak languages that are not shared with their SLP. Method: The tutorial was written by the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children’s Speech, which comprises 46 researchers (SLPs, linguists, phoneticians, and speech scientists) who have worked in 43 countries and used 27 languages in professional practice. Seventeen panel members met for a 1-day workshop to identify key points for inclusion in the tutorial, 26 panel members contributed to writing this tutorial, and 34 members contributed to revising this tutorial online (some members contributed tomore than 1 task). Results: This tutorial draws on international research evidence and professional expertise to provide a comprehensive overview of working with multilingual children with suspected speech sound disorders. This overview addresses referral, case history, assessment, analysis, diagnosis, and goal setting and the SLP’s cultural competence and preparation for working with interpreters and multicultural support workers and dealing with organizational and government barriers to and facilitators of culturally competent practice. Conclusion: The issues raised in this tutorial are applied in a hypothetical case study of an English-speaking SLP’s assessment of a multilingual Cantonese-and English-speaking 4-year-old boy. Resources are listed throughout the tutorial.Australian Research Council: FT0990588United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD

Application of nonlinear phonological theory to intervention with six phonologically disordered children

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the utility of nonlinear phonological frameworks for designing and executing an intervention program with phonologically disordered children. Six such children between the ages of 3 and 6 years participated in the study three times a week over three consecutive six-week blocks. The following general questions were addressed: 1. Will nonlinear phonological frameworks help to predict logical and attainable intervention goals for phonologically disordered children? 2. Are the separate prosodic and segmental levels of representation of nonlinear phonology psychologically real? 3. If the 'prosodic tier' has some observable clinical reality, will there be a difference in proportion and rate of syllable/word shapes acquired as a result of intervention methods that contrast the onset and rime versus those that utilize the mora a constituent? 4. If the 'segmental/melodic tier' has some observable independence, is there any advantage to be gained from targeting specified features at 'higher' versus lower' levels in the feature hierarchy in phonemic inventory intervention? An alternating block, mulitiple baseline design (counterbalanced over six single subjects) provided an opportunity to investigate the above questions. Within each six-week block, three week periods were devoted in turn to prosodic (syllable structure) training and segmental training. Prosodic subblocks were divided into two four-session sunblocks to contrast developmental change for targets presented as moraic constituents versus onset-rime constituents. Segmental periods were divided into two four-session subblocks to contrast developmental change for features from higher and lower levels in the feature hierarchy. Analyses during and after the study demonstrated the following with respect to the four research questions: 1. The nonlinear frameworks provided a logical model for deriving attainable intervention goals. All of the children became intelligible by the end of the project as a result of attaining the goals determined by nonlinear phonological theory. 2. Rate of attainment of syllabic and segmental goals differed, with a faster rate of change for syllabic goals overall, suggesting independence of segmental and prosodic tiers, and possible dominance of the prosodic tier. Interactions between tiers were also observed, suggesting that they are interdependent as well as autonomous. 3. Moraic and onset-rime condition quantitative results were virtually equivalent, but some qualitative differences appeared which had relevance for the each of the theories with respect to status of the onset, word-final consonants, and epenthesis. 4. Higher level features in the feature hierarchy tended to be acquired before lower level features. The nonlinear phonological frameworks stimulated a successful intervention study. Evidence gained through this study in turn contributes to the understanding of the nonlinear constructs.Medicine, Faculty ofAudiology and Speech Sciences, School ofGraduat

When in doubt, glottal stop: A Mandarin-speaking three-year-old with protracted phonological development

As part of a special issue on case profiles in protracted phonological development (PPD), we present a Mandarin-speaking three-year-old boy from Shanghai with severe PPD and no other developmental concerns. In comparison with typically developing (TD) children and a peer group from Shanghai with PPD, he had a very low Whole Word Match score (3.7% of words matched the adult targets exactly), reflecting severe constraints on word structure, consonants and diphthongs/triphthongs. His phonological output resembled that of younger children in its absence of fricatives, liquids and diphthongs/triphthongs alongside fairly high match for word length, tones and monophthongs, labials /p/ and /m/ and dorsal /k/. However, less expected was a pervasive glottal stop substitution in onset. The analysis describes his needs in detail but also strengths that could be exploited in phonological intervention.</p

The influence of word stress on segmental and cluster match: a Bulgarian three-year-old with protracted phonological development

The current paper analyses speech data of a monolingual Bulgarian girl (“Etty”, aged 3;11) with protracted phonological development (PPD). Etty's profile demonstrates the strong effects of prohibitive word structure constraints on segmental and whole-word accuracy. Single-word utterances were audio-recorded by a native speaker and transcribed phonetically by three transcribers. Data were analysed within a constraints-based nonlinear phonological framework (Bernhardt & Stemberger, Introduction to this issue). Even though the child's segmental system met age-level expectations in stressed syllables, strong constraints against initial unstressed syllables and consonant sequences reduced her overall accuracy and intelligibility. The data highlight the importance of examining all aspects of the phonological hierarchy, and further define the scope of PPD for Bulgarian.</p

P.12 Cluster reduction in Slovenian children from 3 to 7 years old

The paper provides preliminary data showing the Slovenian children’s mismatches with the adult forms of speech. A speech elicitation test (101 words) takes into account the characteristics of Slovenian language (21 consonants and 5 major allophones, 8 vowels and a few diphthongs). Most consonants appear in all word positions. There are many twoconsonant clusters, in all word positions, including typologically less-common cluster types

P.12 Cluster reduction in Slovenian children from 3 to 7 years old

The paper provides preliminary data showing the Slovenian children’s mismatches with the adult forms of speech. A speech elicitation test (101 words) takes into account the characteristics of Slovenian language (21 consonants and 5 major allophones, 8 vowels and a few diphthongs). Most consonants appear in all word positions. There are many twoconsonant clusters, in all word positions, including typologically less-common cluster types