A Comparative Phonological Analysis of Guyanese Creole and Standard American English: A Guide for Speech-Language Pathologists

Abstract

Purpose Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are responsible for differentially diagnosing a speech or language difference versus disorder. However, in the absence of data on particular cultural or linguistic groups, misdiagnosis increases. This study seeks to bridge the gap in available resources for SLPs focusing on the phonological features of Guyanese Creole (GC), a Caribbean English–lexified Creole. This study addresses the following question: What are the differences between the phonological features of GC and Standard American English (SAE), which may potentially cause SLPs to misdiagnose Guyanese speakers? Method A contrastive phonological analysis was conducted to identify the phonological differences of GC from SAE. Results The study results indicate differences in vowels, dental fricatives, voiced alveolar liquids, voiceless glottal fricatives, voiced palatal glides, consonant clusters, final consonants, and unstressed syllables. Conclusions The findings of this study support the literature that GC is distinct from SAE in its phonology. The results provide SLPs with data to make informed clinical and educational decisions when assessing the linguistic competencies of children from Caribbean backgrounds, specifically GC speakers.