Typical Consonant Acquisition by Children across Dialects in Vietnam

Authors

  • Ben Phạm

    Faculty of Special Education, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Hang Phạm

    National Center for Sustainable Development of General Education Quality, Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Van Phạm

    VietSpeech EDU, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Thanh Thi Minh Tran

    Faculty of Special Education, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Nho Hoang

    Faculty of Early Childhood and Primary Education, University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Lam Bui

    Faculty of Special Education, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Luu Thi Chung

    Faculty of Early Childhood Education, Hoa Lu University, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
  • Yen Hai Thi Pham

    Faculty of Special Education, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Thuy Dao

    Faculty of Special Education, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Linh Thuy Pham

    Faculty of Early Childhood Education, National College of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i6.7796
Received: 30 April 2024 | Revised: 28 August 2024 | Accepted: 21 September 2024 | Published Online: 7 December 2024

Abstract

Information about typical consonant acquisition holds a key position in the practice of speech-language therapy. The purpose of this review article was to describe the typical age of acquisition of consonants produced by children across dialects in Vietnam. A review was undertaken of seven studies reporting consonant acquisition by 1,631 children living in Vietnam. Data were extracted to describe methodological aspects and the age of acquisition of individual Vietnamese consonants. Combining data from the seven studies reveals that most Vietnamese consonants are acquired by age 5. Ordered by the mean age of acquisition at the 90% criterion, Vietnamese children acquired three initial consonants (/m-, b-, ʔ-/), one final consonant (/-m/), and two final semivowels (/-w, -j/) by 2;0-2;11 (years; months); six initial consonants (/c-, k-, n-, ɲ-, f-, h-/) and seven final consonants (/-p, -t, -k, -kp, -n, -ŋ, -ŋ-) by 3;0-3;11; six initial consonants (/d-, t-, ŋ-, s-, ɣ-, l-/) by 4;0-4;11; four initial consonants (/x-, t̪ʰ-, v-, ʈ-/) by 5;0-5;11; and four initial consonants (/ʂ-, p-, ʐ-, z-/) and two final consonants (/-c, -ɲ/) by 6;0-6;11. Vietnamese final consonants were acquired earlier than initial consonants. Plosives and nasals were acquired earlier than fricatives. Most labials were acquired earlier than velars and retroflexes. These findings on Vietnamese consonant acquisition are similar to those in English and other global cross-linguistic studies, which show that children acquire most consonants by age 5. This information is essential for speech and language therapists and other related professionals working with Vietnamese-speaking children to apply in their clinical decision-making.

Keywords:

Acquisition; Consonants; Vietnamese; Children; Dialects

References

[1] McLeod, S., Baker, E., 2017. Children’s speech: An evidence-based approach to assessment and intervention. Pearson Education: Boston, USA. pp. 1–632.

[2] McLeod, S., Crowe, K., 2018. Children's consonant acquisition in 27 languages: A cross-linguistic review. American journal of speech-language pathology. 27(4), 1546–1571.

[3] Viet Nam Ministry of Education and Training, 2010. Thông tư ban hành quy định về Bộ chuẩn phát triển trẻ em năm tuổi [Circular decision promulgating the regulations on the developmental standards for children aged five]. Available from: http://vbpl.vn/bogiaoducdaotao/Pages/vbpq-toanvan.aspx?ItemID=25561&Keyword=23/2010/TT-BGDDT (cited 1 October 2022).

[4] Davis, B.L., 2007. Applications of typical acquisition information to understanding of speech impairment. In: McLeod, S. (ed.). The international guide to speech acquisition (pp. 50–54). Thomson Delmar Learning: Clifton Park, USA. pp. 1–634.

[5] Edwards, J., Beckman, M.E., 2008. Methodological questions in studying consonant acquisition. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics. 22(12), 937–956. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02699200802330223

[6] Broomfield, D., Broomfield, J., Dodd, B., 2004. The nature of referred subtypes of primary speech disability. Child Language Teaching and Therapy. 20(2), 135–151. DOI: http://www.doi.org/10.1191/0265659004ct267oa

[7] Waring, R., Knight, R., 2013. How should children with speech sound disorders be classified? A review and critical evaluation of current classification systems. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders. 48(1), 25–40. DOI: http://www.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-6984.2012.00195.x

[8] Crowe, K., McLeod, S., 2020. Children's English consonant acquisition in the United States: A review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 29(4), 2155–2169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00168

[9] Templin, M.C., 1957. Certain language skills in children: Their development and interrelationships. University of Minnesota Press: Minesota, USA. pp. 1–208.

[10] Wellman, B., Case, I., Mengert, I., et al., 1931. Speech sounds by young children. University of Iowa Studies: Child Welfare. 5(2), 82.

[11] Sander, E.K., 1972. When are speech sounds learned? Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders. 37(1), 55–63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/jshd.3701.55

[12] Shriberg, L.D., Kwiatkowski, J., 1982. Phonological disorders III: A procedure for assessing severity of involvement. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders. 47(3), 256–270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.4703.256

[13] Fabiano-Smith, L., Goldstein, B.A., 2010. Early-, middle-, and late-developing sounds in monolingual and bilingual children: An exploratory investigation. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology. 19(1), 66–77. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2009/08-0036)

[14] Shriberg, L.D., 1993. Four new speech and prosody-voice measures for genetics research and other studies in developmental phonological disorders. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research. 36(1), 105–140. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3601.105

[15] Simons, G.F., Fennig, C.D., 2018. Ethnologue: Languages of the world, twenty. SIL International: Dallas, TX, USA. Available from: http://www.ethnologue.com (cited 26 December 2018).

[16] Phạm, B., McLeod, S., 2016. Consonants, vowels and tones across Vietnamese dialects. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 18(2), 122–134. DOI: https://doi.org//10.3109/17549507.2015.1101162

[17] Hoang, T.C., 2014. Phương ngữ học tiếng Việt [Dialectology of the Vietnamese language]. Nhà xuất bản Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội [Publisher of Hanoi National University]: Ha Noi. pp. 1–275.

[18] Phạm, B., McLeod, S., 2023. Considerations of dialect on the identification of speech sound disorder in Vietnamese‐speaking children. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 59(6), 2208–2216. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12992

[19] Luu, T.L., 1996. Những bước phát triển ngôn ngữ trẻ em từ 1 đến 6 tuổi (trên tư liệu ngôn ngữ trẻ em ở nội thành Hà Nội. [The language development stages of children aged 1-6 (basing on the sample of children's language in the intercity of Ha Noi)]. [Unpublished PhD thesis]. Hanoi, HN: University of Social Sciences and Humanities. pp. 1–162.

[20] Phạm, B., McLeod, S., 2019. Vietnamese-speaking children’s acquisition of consonants, semivowels, vowels, and tones in Northern Viet Nam. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 62(8), 2645–2670. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-17-0405

[21] Vu, H.T.T., 2021. Phonological development of consonants in Vietnamese children [Master’s Thesis]. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Available from: https://research.library.mun.ca/15169/1/thesis.pdf (cited 1 August 2023).

[22] Lee, S.A.S., Nguyen Phuoc, T.M., Truong Thi, N.Q., et al., 2024. Phonological acquisition in Vietnamese-speaking children with central dialect. Speech, Language and Hearing. 27(2), 87–103.

[23] Nguyen, T.L.K., 2011. Nội dung đánh giá khả năng phát âm âm tiết tiếng Việt của trẻ mẫu giáo [The assessment content of pronunciation ability of Vietnamese syllable of preschoolers]. Ngôn ngữ. 9(1), 6–17.

[24] Nguyen, T.L.K., Pham, H.L., 2014. Lỗi phát âm âm tiết thường gặp ở trẻ 2–4 tuổi (tại thành phố Hồ Chí Minh) [Common errors of syllable pronounce in Vietnamese speaking children from 2–4 years old (in Ho Chi Minh city)]. Tạp chí Khoa học trường Đại học Sư phạm thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, [Journal of Educational Science of Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy]. 57(91), 9–21. Available from: https://journal.hcmue.edu.vn/index.php/hcmuejos/article/view/783

[25] Le, X.T.T., 2023. Khảo sát sự lĩnh hội lời nói của trẻ em từ 3 đến 6 tuổi nói tiếng Việt theo phương ngữ nam ở thành phố Hồ Chí Minh [Investigation of speech acquisition of children in Ho Chi Minh City]. [Unpublished masters dissertation], Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

[26] International Phonetic Association, 2018. The handbook of the International Phonetic Association. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. pp. 1–204.

[27] Smit, A.B., 1986. Ages of speech sound acquisition: Comparisons and critiques of several normative studies. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 17(3), 175–186.

[28] To, C.K.S., Cheung, P.S.P., McLeod, S., 2013. A population study of children’s acquisition of Hong Kong Cantonese consonants, vowels, and tones. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 56(1), 103–122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0080)

Downloads

How to Cite

Phạm, B., Phạm, H., Phạm, V., Minh Tran, T. T., Hoang, N., Bui, L., Chung, L. T., Pham, Y. H. T., Dao, T., & Pham, L. T. (2024). Typical Consonant Acquisition by Children across Dialects in Vietnam. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(6), 295–309. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i6.7796

Issue

Vol. 6 , Iss. 6 (December 2024)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2024 Moussa Diagne Faye, Vini Yves Bernadin Loyara, Amadou Keita, Mamadou Diop, Angelbert Chabi Biaou, Mahamadou Koita, Hamma Yacouba

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.