Speech Sound Acquisition in Urdu-Speaking Children

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Speech sound acquisition norms are vital for identifying atypical development.
• Limited research exists on Urdu speech sound development, particularly for vowels.
• This study addresses the gap by examining both consonant and vowel acquisition in Urdu.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish normative data for Urdu speech sound acquisition in children.
• To analyze the developmental trajectory of phoneme emergence, acquisition, and mastery.
• To identify universal and language-specific features in Urdu phonological development.

Main Methods:

• Collected speech samples from 208 Urdu-speaking children aged 2;7 to 6;0 years.
• Utilized the Urdu Speech Assessment Test for data collection.
• Analyzed phoneme emergence, acquisition, mastery, and accuracy.

Main Results:

• Urdu phoneme acquisition and mastery extend beyond age 6;0.
• The youngest children achieved 56.17% Correct Consonants (PCC) and 74.56% Correct Vowels (PVC).
• The oldest children scored 73.27% PCC and 80.44% PVC, indicating continued development.

Conclusions:

• Provides essential normative data for Urdu speech sound assessment.
• Highlights universal developmental trends alongside language-specific features.
• Identifies late acquisition of specific sounds like uvular stop and palatal/velar fricatives.