In an EFL Environment: Characteristics of Speech Sound Disorders in Children’s English Articulation

Abstract

Objectives: In an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) environment like Korea, individuals learn English through education, and learning a foreign language is naturally influenced by the language system of the mother tongue. This study aimed to investigate the English speech characteristics and patterns of native language transfer in children with speech sound disorders (SSD).Methods: 20 Korean children aged 4-6 years participated in this study. The study divided participants into SSD and normal speech acquisition (NSA) groups, each comprising 10 children. Participants completed English word repetition task using the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP). Additionally, the SSD group was assessed using the Urimal Test of Articulation & Phonology (U-TAP) to compare differences in speech production based on language types. In both groups, the overall consonant accuracy, error types an error patterns in English were analyzed. English error types were categorized as substitution, vowel addition, consonant addition, vowel deletion, consonant deletion, inter-language distortion and intra-language distortion. Error patterns were further divided into developmental and non-developmental error patterns.Results: The SSD group demonstrated lower consonant accuracy compared to the NSA group in English articulation. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in vowel deletion rates and minor variations in consonant addition patterns. Error pattern analysis revealed that both groups exhibited a high proportion of stopping and final consonant deletion.Conclusion: This study directly confirmed the transfer of native language deficits in children with SSD to their English articulation and indirectly suggested that underlying deficits might impact English speech production.