This document provides information on typical speech development in bilingual children who speak English and another language. It outlines the learner objectives, discusses how a second language can influence sound acquisition, and covers speech and articulation development as well as phonological development. The document also discusses specific languages that bilingual children may speak, including Spanish, Hindi/Urdu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic. For each language, it provides information on phonotactics, consonants, vowels, and common patterns noted in English for native speakers of that language. The document concludes with tips on working with an interpreter.

1. Typical Speech Development in
Bilinguals of English and Other Languages
Ellen Kester, PhD, CCC-SLP
Scott Prath, MA, CCC-SLP
July 12, 2012

2. Outline for Today
• Typical Speech Development in Bilinguals
▫ How does a second language influence sound
acquisition?
• Speech and Articulation Development
▫ Consonants
▫ Vowels
• Phonological Development
• Other Languages
• Case Studies

3. Learner Objectives
• Participants will:
▫ Understand typical speech development for bilinguals
▫ Identify typical speech processes of bilinguals
▫ List similarities in typical monolingual and bilingual
speech development.
▫ Identify speech intervention goals for bilingual
children.

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the online courses.

5. The influence of a second
language on the acquisition of
sounds

6. Difference vs. Disorder
NORMAL
DEVELOPMENTAL
ERRORS
SECOND-
LANGUAGE
INFLUENCE
ATYPICAL
ERRORS

7. Speech Outcomes
• Qualifies• DNQ
• DNQ• DNQ
Errors
are
typical
for age
Errors
are due
to
second
language
Errors
are
atypical
for age
and
language
No
errors
present

8. • Speech and language
development from:
▫ 0-36 months
▫ 36 months forward
• With:
▫ Spanish
▫ English
▫ Crosslinguistic Influence

9. All of the documents and charts in this presentation
can be downloaded from our Free Resource Library.
Click here to visit the Resource Library

10. Similarities
Differences
+ = Positive transfer
+ = Negative transfer

11. • 0-1 month – crying and vegetative
sounds
• 1-6 months – cooing, laughter,
squealing, growling
• 4-6 months – marginal babbling
• 6-8 months – reduplicated babbling
• 8-10 months – variegated babbling
• 8-12 months – echolalia*
• 9-12 months – phonetically*
consistent forms
• 9-12 months – jargon*
Language Influenced*
Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

12. • For parents: (Lynch, Brookshire & Fox, 1980)
▫ 18 months - ~25% intelligible
▫ 2 year olds - 50-75% intelligible
▫ 3 year olds - 75%-100% intelligible
• For unfamiliar: (Flipsen, 2006)
▫ 18 months - ~25% intelligible
▫ 2 year olds - ~50% intelligible
▫ 3 year olds - ~75% intelligible
▫ 4 year olds - 100% intelligible
Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

13. • Difficulty producing sounds in both languages,
even with adult assistance
• Family history of speech-language impairment
• Slower development than siblings
• Difficulty interacting with peers
• Difficulty with speech production in many routines
and settings
• Speech production unlike others with similar
cultural/linguistic experiences
Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

14. The differences and shared
characteristics of two sound
systems

15. Bilingual Speech Evaluation:
3 important things
• Shared and unshared sounds/processes
• Developmental acquisition within each language
• Phonotactics of each language
▫ The set of permissible sequences of sounds in a
given language

16. /ɲ/
/ɾ/
/R/
/x/
/ð/ /dʒ/
/h/ /ŋ/
/θ/
/r/ /ʃ/
/v/ /w/
/z/ /ʒ/
SPANISH ENGLISH
/b/ /d/ /ɡ/
/p/ /t/ /k/
/m/ /n/
/s/ /tʃ/
/j/ /l/
/f/

17. English consonants mastered in
words across time
Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

18. Spanish consonants mastered in words
across time
Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

19. Cluster reduction
Stopping
Fronting
Assimilation
Gliding
Final consonant deletion
Deaffrication
Tap/Trill
Deviation Vocalization
SPANISH ENGLISH

20. Phonological Processes: Norms

21. English Spanish
• More clusters
• Many words ending in Cs
• Many allowable phonemes
final Cs
• S-clusters allowed in word
initial position
• CV dominated
• Few words ending in Cs
• Few allowable phonemes as
final Cs (only l, n, d, s, r)
• S-clusters not allowed in word
initial position
C = Consonant
V = Vowel

22. Consonant Difference
Activity
BATH BAT

23. THREE TREE
Consonant Difference
Activity

24. SHOE CHEW
Consonant Difference
Activity

25. VASE BASE
Consonant Difference
Activity

26. /æ/ /ɔ/ /ʊ/
/u/ /ʌ/ /ɛ/
/ɪ/ /ə/
/ɑ/
/e/
/i/
/o/
/u/
SPANISH ENGLISH

27. Vowel Difference
Activity
HAT HOT

28. GET GATE
Vowel Difference
Activity

29. HIT HEAT
Vowel Difference
Activity

30. FUN PHONE
Vowel Difference
Activity

31. LOOK LUKE
Vowel Difference
Activity

32. The influence of a second
language on the acquisitions
of sounds

33. Hindi/Urdu
• Hindi and Urdu are mutually intelligible
languages, though mutual intelligibility
decreases in specialized contexts.
• Related to Persian and Arabic and also
influenced by English

34. Hindi/Urdu Phonotactics
• Consonant clusters are uncommon
• No initial consonant clusters are allowed in
Urdu
• In Hindi, a vowel is often inserted prior to word
initial consonant clusters (iskul)
• Mostly monosyllabic words (except borrowed
words)
• Words never begin with /R/ or /Rh/
• Words do not end in / ɖ /, /ɖh/ and /ph/

35. /ɲ/ /ɽʱ/ /t̪ʰ/
/ʋ/ /q/ /d̪ʱ/
/ɾ/ /pʰ/ /ʈʰ/
/x/ /bʰ/ /ɖʱ/
/kʰ/ /ɡʱ/ /tʃʰ/
/dʒʱ/ /ɣ/
/ð/ /ʒ/
/ŋ/ /θ/
/v/ /w/
HINDI ENGLISH
/b/ /d/ /ɡ/
/p/ /t/ /k/
/m/ /n/
/s/ /z/ /h/
/r/ /ʃ/
/tʃ/ /dʒ/
/j/ /l/
/f/

36. /ɑ/ /æ/
/ɔ/ /ʊ/
/u/ /ʌ/
/ɛ/ /ɪ/ /i/
/e/ /i/ /o/
/u/
HINDI ENGLISH

37. Mandarin and Cantonese
• Both tonal languages (rising and falling
intonation)
• The tonal systems of the languages differ
▫ Mandarin has 4 distinct tones and 1 neutral tone
▫ Cantonese has 6-9 tones (linguists debate)
• The combination of intonation and sounds
provide meaning to syllables

38. Mandarin & Cantonese Phonotactics
• Stop consonants are contrasted by aspiration
unlike English voiced and voiceless contrasts
• No consonant clusters
• Words are monosyllabic
• Only a few consonants are allowed at the end of
a word
▫ Mandarin allows /n, ŋ, ʔ / in final word position
▫ Cantonese allows / t, k, p, m, n, ŋ / in word final
position

39. Common patterns noted in English
for native speakers of Mandarin
and Cantonese
• Omission of final consonants
• Devoicing of voiced sounds
• Lack of differentiation between /l/ and /r/
• Addition of the schwa between consonants in a
cluster

40. /pʰ/
/tʰ/
/kʰ/
/kʷ/
/kʷʰ/ /ʔ/
/b/ /d/ /g/
/v/ /z/
/ʃ/ /ʒ/
/tʃ/ /dʒ/
/θ/ /ð/ /ɹ/
CANTONESE ENGLISH
/p/ /m/
/f/ /t/
/s/ /l/
/k/ /ŋ/
/n/ /h/
/w/ /j/

41. /œ/
/ɵ/
/ɐ/
/y/
/e/
/æ/
/o/
/ʌ/
/ə/ /ɑ/
/i/
/ɪ/ /ɛ/
/a/ /u/
/ʊ/
/ɔ/
CANTONESE ENGLISH

42. /pʰ/ /tʰ/
/ts/ /tsʰ/
/ɕ/ /tɕ/ /tɕʰ/
/ʂ/ /ʐ/ /tʂ/
/tʐ/ /kʰ/ /ʔ/
/x/ /ɽ /
/b/ /d/ /g/
/h/ /w/ /j/
/v/ /z/ /ʃ/
/ʒ/ /tʃ/ /dʒ/
/θ/ /ð/ /ɹ/
MANDARIN ENGLISH
/p/ /m/
/f/ /t/
/s/ /l/
/k/ /ŋ/
/n/ /h/
/w/ /j/

43. /œ/
/ɵ/
/ɐ/
/y/
/e/
/æ/
/o/
/ʌ/
/ə/ /ɑ/
/i/
/ɪ/ /ɛ/
/a/ /u/
/ʊ/
/ɔ/
MANDARIN ENGLISH

44. Tagalog
• A language spoken in the Phillipines.
• Its general form is often called Filipino
• Related to Spanish, Malay, Javanese, Hawaiian,
English, Hindi, Arabic, Sanskrit, Chinese,
Japanese and Tamil.

45. Tagalog Phonotactics & Phonology
• Primary stress occurs on the last or next-to-last
syllable
• Words frequently end in glottal stops
• Very few consonant clusters
• The consonants / tʃ , n, w, r / are represented in
both languages; however, they are produced in
different places.

46. /ɴ̺/
/tʃ̺/
/ɾ/
/ɲ/
/ʔ/
/w/ /v/ /n/
/ŋ/ /w/
/z/ /ʃ/
/ʒ/ /tʃ/ /dʒ/
/θ/ /ð/ /ɹ/
TAGALOG ENGLISH
/p/ /b/
/t/ /d/
/k/ /g/
/m/ /f/ /s/
/l/ /h/
/j/

47. /ɪ/
/ɛ/ /æ/
/ɔ//ʊ/
/ɚ/ /ə/
/ʌ/
/i/ (/ɪ/)
/e/ (/ɛ/)
/a/ (/ə/)
/o/ (/ɔ/)
/u/ (/ʊ/)
TAGALOG ENGLISH

48. Vietnamese
• A tonal language with 6 distinct phonemic tones
(variations in pitch and stress)
• Three different types of phonemes
▫ Consonants
▫ Vowels
▫ Tones
• A monosyllabic language (except borrowed
words)

49. Vietnamese Consonants and Vowels
• 24 Consonants
• 11 Single Vowels
• 30 Vowel Combinations (Diphthongs and
Triphthongs)
• Consonants can occur in word initial and final
positions (monosyllabic so no medial Cs)
• Final consonants are voiceless stops or nasals

50. /th / /ʈ//c/
/ʔ/ /ɲ/
/ɣ/
/x/ /ɽ/
/ð/ /dʒ/
/ŋ/ /θ/
/ʃ/
/v/ /s/
/ʒ/
VIETNAMESE ENGLISH
/p/ /b/ /t/
/d/ /k/ /ɡ/
/m/ /n/
/j/ /w/ /f/
/z/ /h/
/tʃ/
/l/ /r/

51. /ɯ/
/ɤ/
/ɤˇ/
/ɑ̆/
/ɔˇ/
/ʌ/
/ɪ/
/e/
/o/
VIETNAMESE ENGLISH
/ɑ/ /æ/
/ɔ/ /ʊ/
/u/
/ɛ/ /i/

52. Arabic
• A Semitic language from the Afro-Asiatic family
• Dialects
▫ Classic (Fous-ha) used in the Quran and highly
formal situations
▫ Modern Standard Arabic – similar to classic but
with contemporary words incorporated
▫ Colloquial Arabic – many dialects
• The dialects differ so significantly that speakers
of different dialects are often unable to
understand each other.

53. Arabic Phonotactics
• No more than two consonant sounds can occur
together.
• Words can start with a vowel or a single
consonant
• Words cannot start with a consonant cluster

54. /ʈ̥/ /d̥ / /s̥ /
/ð̥ / /z̥ / /ǰ/
/š/ /l̥/ /q/
/x/ /ɣ/ /ħ/
/ʕ/ /ʔ/
/v/ /ɺ/
/g/ /ŋ/ /ʃ/
/ʒ/ /tʃ/ /dʒ/
ARABIC ENGLISH
/b/ /t/ /d/
/k/ /m/
/n/
/f/ /θ/ /ð/
/s/ /z/
/h/ /l/
/w/ /j/
There are phonemic contrasts between emphatic (pharyngealized and
velarized) and non-emphatic sounds

55. /æ/ /e/
/o//ɔ/ /ʊ/
/u/ /ʌ/ /ɛ/
/ɪ/ /ə/
/ɑ/
/i/
/u/
ARABIC ENGLISH

56. Order of Acquisition of Consonant
Phonemes Common to English and
Arabic
BY 3;6 BY 3;6 BY 4;0 BY 5;0 BY 6;0 BY 7;0
ARABIC t, k, f, m,
n, w
b, d l S, ʃ, h, r Θ, ð, z,
dʒ, j
ENGLISH w, t, d, k,
m, h, n,
w
f, j s, ʃ, h, dʒ Θ, ð, z, l,
ɹ
Information adapted from Amaryeh & Dyson (1998)

57. So what do we know?
• Building blocks are the same for both monolinguals
and bilinguals, and across languages
• General guidelines for intelligibility are the same
• Expect some cross-linguistic influence in speech
production where the two languages differ
• Phonotactic constraints can result in cross-linguistic
influence.

58. Case Study 3 - Slovak
• Please find the Goldman-Fristoe protocol form
and the information about Slovak in your packet.
• Create your Venn Diagram
• Evaluate the errors on the Goldman-Fristoe
• Determine whether or not the errors could be
due to influence from Slovak

59. Accessing clients and families
through their home language.

60. The Top Ten Tips
• Establish and agree to ground rules
▫ How to run the session
▫ Number of sentences at a time
▫ Confirmation of jargon/idioms – Avoid it!
▫ When to take breaks
• Brief the interpreter prior to the session
▫ Who, what, why
▫ Specific terminology
▫ Format
▫ Your job and what you are looking for

61. The Top Ten Tips (continued)
• Familiarize them with the topic
▫ Best if your interpreter has some experience in
education, special education, speech-language
▫ Important for interpreter to know what you need
• Avoid humor
• Plan your time carefully
(twice the time)
• Do not rush, speak slowly and clearly and
provide pauses for the interpreter

62. The Top Ten Tips (continued)
• An interpreter should never translate emotions,
body language works for that
• An interpreter should never answer questions on
your behalf.
• Ask them their opinion after the session
• An interpreter should
never alter what you say.

63. How to work with an interpreter
• Talk to the family, not to the interpreter
• Sit across from client and interpreter takes a
mediating position
Note: An inexperienced interpreter may talk more or
less than you do.

64. Interpreter bias
• It is human nature to want a member of your
culture to perform well
• An interpreter should:
▫ Maintain Neutrality
▫ Translate statements verbatim
▫ Maintain confidentiality

65. Types of Interpretation
• Consecutive Interpreting
▫ The interpreter listens to a
section and then the speaker
pauses to give time to
interpret
▫ Used in one-to-one and small group meetings
• Simultaneous Interpreting
▫ The interpreter attempts to relay the meaning in real
time.
▫ Used more for conferences and speeches to large
groups

66. How to find an interpreter
• On-line resources
▫ www.professionalinterpreters.com
• The Professional Community
▫ Nurses, healthcare professionals
• Community Volunteers
▫ Cultural centers
▫ Religious groups
• The family
▫ Extended members preferred

67. Click to visit www.bilinguistics.com

68. Difference or Disorder?
Understanding Speech and Language
Patterns in Culturally and Linguistically
Diverse Students
Rapidly identify speech‐language
patterns related to second language
acquisition to
distinguish difference from disorder.
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