The acquisition of Setswana phonology in children aged 3;0 – 6;0 years : a cross-sectional study

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dc.contributor.advisorPascoe, Michelleen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorSmouse, Mantoaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMahura, Olebengen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-07-01T08:49:16Z
dc.date.available2015-07-01T08:49:16Z
dc.date.issued2014en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis study aimed to describe the typical development of speech in first language Setswana speaking children. Thirty-six children, aged 3;0 – 6;0 years, attending preschools in Hebron in the North-West Province of South Africa, participated in the study. The objectives of the study were documenting the children’s ability to produce consonants and vowels, different syllable structures, as well as the nature of phonological processes occurring at various ages. The study followed a cross-sectional design with six children grouped into each six month age band. Due to the preliminary and exploratory nature of the project, an assessment tool was developed and used to document speech development in Setswana-speaking children. This was done as none is currently available. Words and pictures selected for this assessment tool were culturally and linguistically appropriate for the study population, and an expert panel was used to ensure this. Assessments were transcribed online by a first language Setswana speaker using the IPA convention and were audio-recorded and re-transcribed by the same Setswana speaker to ensure reliability. Findings of this study indicate that the majority of Setswana consonants are acquired by 3;0 years. The rounded alveolar trill /rw/ is among the phonemes which continue to develop after 6;0 years, particularly in the penultimate syllable. Phonological processes found in the speech of younger children mainly occur in multisyllabic words and include deletion of marked and unmarked syllables, gliding of liquids, assimilation, as well as the simplification of -Cw- digraphs and words with five syllables. Older children (5;6 – 5;11 years) present with fewer phonological processes than the younger group of children (3;0 – 5;5 years). Findings of the study are discussed in relation to normative data from other languages, and in particular to those belonging to the same language group such as Sesotho. Knowledge of Setswana speech development will better equip Speech-Language Therapists working in Southern Africa to assess and manage speech difficulties in Setswana-speaking children. Future research may focus on developing a standardised Setswana speech assessment tool. The results contribute to an increasing body of locally relevant information about the typical development of children’s speech.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMahura, O. (2014). <i>The acquisition of Setswana phonology in children aged 3;0 – 6;0 years : a cross-sectional study</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13207en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMahura, Olebeng. <i>"The acquisition of Setswana phonology in children aged 3;0 – 6;0 years : a cross-sectional study."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13207en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMahura, O. 2014. The acquisition of Setswana phonology in children aged 3;0 – 6;0 years : a cross-sectional study. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Mahura, Olebeng AB - This study aimed to describe the typical development of speech in first language Setswana speaking children. Thirty-six children, aged 3;0 – 6;0 years, attending preschools in Hebron in the North-West Province of South Africa, participated in the study. The objectives of the study were documenting the children’s ability to produce consonants and vowels, different syllable structures, as well as the nature of phonological processes occurring at various ages. The study followed a cross-sectional design with six children grouped into each six month age band. Due to the preliminary and exploratory nature of the project, an assessment tool was developed and used to document speech development in Setswana-speaking children. This was done as none is currently available. Words and pictures selected for this assessment tool were culturally and linguistically appropriate for the study population, and an expert panel was used to ensure this. Assessments were transcribed online by a first language Setswana speaker using the IPA convention and were audio-recorded and re-transcribed by the same Setswana speaker to ensure reliability. Findings of this study indicate that the majority of Setswana consonants are acquired by 3;0 years. The rounded alveolar trill /rw/ is among the phonemes which continue to develop after 6;0 years, particularly in the penultimate syllable. Phonological processes found in the speech of younger children mainly occur in multisyllabic words and include deletion of marked and unmarked syllables, gliding of liquids, assimilation, as well as the simplification of -Cw- digraphs and words with five syllables. Older children (5;6 – 5;11 years) present with fewer phonological processes than the younger group of children (3;0 – 5;5 years). Findings of the study are discussed in relation to normative data from other languages, and in particular to those belonging to the same language group such as Sesotho. Knowledge of Setswana speech development will better equip Speech-Language Therapists working in Southern Africa to assess and manage speech difficulties in Setswana-speaking children. Future research may focus on developing a standardised Setswana speech assessment tool. The results contribute to an increasing body of locally relevant information about the typical development of children’s speech. DA - 2014 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2014 T1 - The acquisition of Setswana phonology in children aged 3;0 – 6;0 years : a cross-sectional study TI - The acquisition of Setswana phonology in children aged 3;0 – 6;0 years : a cross-sectional study UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13207 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/13207
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMahura O. The acquisition of Setswana phonology in children aged 3;0 – 6;0 years : a cross-sectional study. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 2014 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13207en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDivision of Communication Sciences and Disordersen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherSpeech-Language Pathologyen_ZA
dc.titleThe acquisition of Setswana phonology in children aged 3;0 – 6;0 years : a cross-sectional studyen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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