B. May Bernhardt

First Nations English dialects in Canada: implications for speech-language pathology.

The current study reports preliminary information gathered about First Nations English dialects in Canada and considers implications for speech‐language pathology practice. Information was gathered from literature searches and forums of First Nations and non‐First Nations speech‐language pathologists, developmentalists, and linguists. The exploratory findings suggest that First Nations English dialects are shaped both by transference of features from the ancestral languages and by cultural patterns of communication. The dialects likely represent late stages of depidginization and decreolization. Examples of phonological and syntactic dialectal features illustrate the importance of recognizing non‐standard varieties of English when assessing speakers of First Nations communities and setting up goals and strategies for treatment. Research is urgently needed to identify features of First Nations English dialects both for linguistic documentation and to help speech‐language pathologists and other educators to distinguish between language impairments and dialect differences and to develop culturally relevant assessment and intervention practices.

Case study using ultrasound to treat

Background: Ultrasound has shown promise as visual feedback in remediation of /ɹ/.Aims: To compare treatment for /ɹ/ with and without ultrasound.Methods & Procedures: A Canadian English‐speaking adolescent participated in a case study with a no treatment baseline, alternating treatment blocks with and without ultrasound and a final no treatment period.Outcomes & Results: Formant values and trained listener ratings of speech samples indicated improvement in /ɹ/ production, particularly after the introduction of ultrasound.Conclusions: Ultrasound appeared to facilitate the acquisition of /ɹ/ for the participant. Large‐scale studies are needed to evaluate ultrasound further.

A multi-modal approach to intervention for one adolescent's frontal lisp

An adolescent with a persistent frontal lisp participated in a two-part 11-session intervention case study. The first phase used ultrasound imagery and acoustic, phonetic and voice education to provide information about articulatory setting (AS) and general awareness of the speech production process. The second phase used traditional articulation therapy, online visual–acoustic biofeedback and fluency strategies to target the frontal lisp directly (specifically /s/, /z/, /ʃ/ and /ʧ/). Trained listener evaluations of pre-intervention, post-phase 1 and post-phase 2 assessments showed no improvement after phase 1, but notable improvement in all treatment targets immediately after phase 2. These improvements were substantially maintained at assessment 4 months post-intervention. The outcomes suggest that direct training was more effective than the AS approach; however, the clients ability to self-monitor in phase 2, rapid acquisition of the targets and maintenance at 4 months post-intervention possibly reflected the knowledge gained in phase 1 about AS.

Variability in a German-Speaking Child as Viewed from a Constraint-Based Nonlinear Phonology Perspective

Abstract This paper provides an overview of constraint-based nonlinear phonological theories (Bernhardt & Stemberger, 1998) in clinical application to German. Tenets of the theories are briefly introduced, and then illustrated with longitudinal data from a 3-year-old German-speaking child with variable and protracted phonological development. The childs consonant system showed both improvement and regression over time. Fricatives and /l/ decreased in accuracy and prevalence over time, whereas dorsal (velar) stops increased in accuracy and prevalence over time, replacing both /l/ and fricatives. The analysis proposes that the child showed an unusual ranking of constraints in which the feature [Dorsal] (velar) became a secondary default place feature whenever the global default [Coronal] place feature was ruled out by other constraints. The relevance of these data is discussed for variants of constraint-based theories.

Speech assessment of Chinese–English bilingual children: Accent versus developmental level

Abstract The study aimed to evaluate the phonological profiles of Chinese–English bilingual children in primary grades relative to those of English monolinguals, and to compare these profiles with speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs’) ratings of childrens speech in terms of accent or developmental level. Participants were 29 Chinese–English bilinguals and 25 English-monolingual children. Speech samples were collected using the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation–2, either a Cantonese or Mandarin phonology test, and three sentences in a delayed repetition task. In addition, 10 SLPs rated each of the randomized sentences on either an accent or developmental level scale. Bilingual children with identified accents had significantly lower standard scores than monolingual children on the GFTA-2, but on the Chinese phonological assessments the same children showed age-expected speech. The differences in the bilingual childrens scores on phonology tests in English vs Chinese highlight the need for phonological assessment in both languages. The SLP listener results further suggest that perceptual judgement may be a useful complement in phonological assessment of bilingual children but not a replacement for more formal testing.

Minimal pair word learning and vocabulary size: Links with later language skills

There is increasing interest in the link between early linguistic skills and later language development. In a longitudinal study, we investigated infants’ (a) ability to use speech sound categories to guide word learning in the habituation-based minimal pair switch task, and (b) early productive vocabulary, related to their concurrent and later language task performance. The participants at Phase 1 were 64 infants aged 16–24 months (25 with familial risk of language/speech impairment), followed up at 27 months (Phase 2) and at 3 years (Phase 3). Phase 1 productive vocabulary was correlated with Phase 2 productive vocabulary, and with concurrent and later (Phase 3) tests of language production and comprehension scores (standardized tool), and phonology. Phase 1 switch task performance was correlated with concurrent productive vocabulary and language production scores, but not by Phase 3. However, a combination of early low vocabulary score and a preference for looking at an already-habituated word–object combination in the switch task may show some promise as an identifier for early speech–language intervention. We discuss how these relations can help us better understand the foundations of word learning.

Word structures of Granada Spanish‐speaking preschoolers with typical versus protracted phonological development

BACKGROUND Research on childrens word structure development is limited. Yet, phonological intervention aims to accelerate the acquisition of both speech-sounds and word structure, such as word length, stress or shapes in CV sequences. Until normative studies and meta-analyses provide in-depth information on this topic, smaller investigations can provide initial benchmarks for clinical purposes. AIMS To provide preliminary reference data for word structure development in a variety of Spanish with highly restricted coda use: Granada Spanish (similar to many Hispano-American varieties). To be clinically applicable, such data would need to show differences by age, developmental typicality and word structure complexity. Thus, older typically developing (TD) children were expected to show higher accuracy than younger children and those with protracted phonological development (PPD). Complex or phonologically marked forms (e.g. multisyllabic words, clusters) were expected to be late developing. METHODS & PROCEDURES Participants were 59 children aged 3-5 years in Granada, Spain: 30 TD children, and 29 with PPD and no additional language impairments. Single words were digitally recorded by a native Spanish speaker using a 103-word list and transcribed by native Spanish speakers, with confirmation by a second transcriber team and acoustic analysis. The program Phon 1.5 provided quantitative data. OUTCOMES & RESULTS In accordance with expectations, the TD and older age groups had better-established word structures than the younger children and those with PPD. Complexity was also relevant: more structural mismatches occurred in multisyllabic words, initial unstressed syllables and clusters. Heterosyllabic consonant sequences were more accurate than syllable-initial sequences. The most common structural mismatch pattern overall was consonant deletion, with syllable deletion most common in 3-year-olds and children with PPD. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The current study provides preliminary reference data for word structure development in a Spanish variety with restricted coda use, both by age and types of word structures. Between ages 3 and 5 years, global measures (whole word match, word shape match) distinguished children with typical versus protracted phonological development. By age 4, children with typical development showed near-mastery of word structures, whereas 4- and 5-year-olds with PPD continued to show syllable deletion and cluster reduction, especially in multisyllabic words. The results underline the relevance of multisyllabic words and words with clusters in Spanish phonological assessment and the utility of word structure data for identification of protracted phonological development.

Phonological assessment and analysis tools for Tagalog: Preliminary development

ABSTRACT Information and assessment tools concerning Tagalog phonological development are minimally available. The current study thus sets out to develop elicitation and analysis tools for Tagalog. A picture elicitation task was designed with a warm-up, screener and two extension lists, one with more complex and one with simpler words. A nonlinear phonological analysis form was adapted from English (Bernhardt & Stemberger, 2000) to capture key characteristics of Tagalog. The tools were piloted on a primarily Tagalog-speaking 4-year-old boy living in a Canadian-English-speaking environment. The data provided initial guidance for revision of the elicitation tool (available at phonodevelopment.sites.olt.ubc.ca). The analysis provides preliminary observations about possible expectations for primarily Tagalog-speaking 4-year-olds in English-speaking environments: Lack of mastery for tap/trill ‘r’, and minor mismatches for vowels, /l/, /h/ and word stress. Further research is required in order to develop the tool into a norm-referenced instrument for Tagalog in both monolingual and multilingual environments.

Fricative acquisition in English- and Icelandic-speaking preschoolers with protracted phonological development.

Abstract Few studies have directly compared fricative development across languages. The current study examined voiceless fricative production in Icelandic- versus English-speaking preschoolers with protracted phonological development (PPD). Expected were: a low fricative match (with age effect), highest match levels for /f/ and non-word-initial fricatives, developmentally early mismatch (error) patterns including deletion, multiple feature category mismatches or stops, and developmentally later patterns affecting only one feature category. Crosslinguistic differences in phonetic inventories were predicted to provide different options for mismatch patterns, e.g. affricates in English, [+spread glottis] segments in Icelandic. For each language, native speakers audio-recorded and transcribed single-word speech samples for thirteen 3-year-olds and ten 4-year-olds. Predictions regarding mismatches were generally confirmed. Accuracy data were partially confirmed, /f/ having a lower match than /s/ overall for the Icelandic children. Other results reflected language or group differences. The data provide confirmation that phonological acquisition reflects crosslinguistic, language-specific and child-specific influences.

Phonological development of Kuwaiti Arabic: Preliminary data

An overview of Kuwaiti Arabic is presented, with very preliminary data from two typically developing brothers (ages 2;4 and 5;2) and a 6-year-old with a severe sensorineural hearing impairment. The siblings show early mastery of many aspects of the complex Arabic phonological system, with universally expected later mastery of coronal fricatives and /r/. The 6-year-old shows patterns typical of children with hearing impairments, e.g. hypernasality, a prevalence of ‘visible’ segments, particularly labials, and simplified syllable structure. Her accurate use of /l/, /r/, and some gutturals, however, raise questions about the enhanced perceptibility and functionality of these segments in Arabic.