Distinguishing between phonological difference and disorder in children who speak African-American Vernacular...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an experimental articulation testing instrument for differentiating child speakers of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) with atypical and typical phonologies. Twenty-six AAVE-speaking children between the ages of 5:0 and 6:6 participated in the study. Based on their phonological skills in AAVE, the children were divided into two groups: typical and atypical. The experimental procedure was administered to each child and group performance on the instrument was contrasted. Significant group differences were observed thus suggesting that the experimental testing instrument can differentiate between AAVE-speaking children with typical and atypical phonological development between the ages tested. Observed error patterns are described and suggestions for further research are discussed.