Phonological Development in Urdu-Speaking Children: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Phonological acquisition research informs clinical assessment and intervention for articulation/phonological disorders.
• Urdu, spoken by over 200 million, has limited research on its phonological development.
• Understanding Urdu phonological development is crucial for supporting affected children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing literature on Urdu phonological development.
• To identify research gaps in Urdu speech sound acquisition and phonological processes.
• To provide a comprehensive overview of targeted aspects and findings in Urdu phonological development research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
• Inclusion of studies published between January 1980 and March 2020 on Urdu phonological development in typically developing children up to 8 years.
• Searched five databases and conducted a manual search, identifying 873 records and including 9 studies.

Main Results:

• Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, all published in English (5 theses, 4 journal articles).
• Four studies focused on consonant acquisition; five explored phonological processes.
• No studies investigated the acquisition of Urdu vowels, diphthongs, or consonant clusters.

Conclusions:

• The current literature on Urdu phonological development is sparse.
• Significant gaps exist in research concerning vowels, diphthongs, and consonant clusters.
• Further research is needed to establish a comprehensive understanding of Urdu phonological acquisition.