title: Evaluation of multisyllabic word production in Canadian English- or French-speaking children within a non-linear phonological framework.
abstract: Currently, there is no theoretically justified, evidence-based metric for evaluating segmental and prosodic components of multisyllabic words (MSWs). A pilot study evaluated a MSW metric embedded in non-linear phonological- and language-processing frameworks. Six MSWs were analyzed in 10 Canadian English-speaking 5-year-olds with typically developing speech, and eight French-speaking children, ages 3-4 years, with protracted phonological development (PPD). Mismatches were tallied (with and without vowels), with totals ranked by word and participant, then compared with ranks from Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (PMLU) and Percent Consonants Correct (PCC) tallies. For both groups, the number of different ranks was significant in comparisons of MSW metrics with PMLU and PCC. Rank orderings were systematically higher for English-speaking children using the MSW metric, with/without vowels, and for French-speaking children using the MSW metric with vowels. Overall, the MSW metric was particularly suitable for fine-grained differentiation of phonological accuracy in MSW production.
authors.affiliation: a School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia , Vancouver , BC , Canada .
authors.forename: Glenda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bérubé
authors.forename: B May
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Bernhardt
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stemberger
mesh_terms: D001184:Articulation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D001955:British Columbia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010700:Phonetics; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012660:Semantics; D013062:Speech Articulation Tests; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013070:Speech Therapy
keywords: Canadian English; Canadian French; child speech; multisyllabic words; non-linear phonology