This paper reports on a cross-sectional acoustical investigation of the development of the voicing contrast in Thai word-initial stops. Voice onset time (VOT) productions associated with three bilabial stops (/b p ph/), three alveolar stops (/d t th/), and two velar stops (/k kh/) were measured in seven 3-year-old children, seven 5-year-old children, seven 7-year-old children, and seven adults. Within each age group, differences in mean VOT between homorganic stop consonants indicated that 3-year-olds have acquired all voicing contrasts except /b/ vs. /p/ and /d/ vs. /t/. By age five, children have acquired all voicing contrasts. However, as measured by differences in mean VOT across age groups, 5-year-olds still do not produce /b/ or/d/ in an adult-like manner. Issues concerning the order of acquisition and nature of development of stop consonants are discussed.
It has been reported that 50% of children with specific language impairment (SLI) have persistent SLI, which has been associated with various risk factors. To date, however, there has not been a comprehensive review of studies into different risk factors that could be used by clinicians to facilitate parental counseling and individual case-management. Several studies about the factors associated with SLI were reviewed based on study design. This article presents a review of factors associated with later language development and SLI, and reviews the risk for children who have SLI during early life. The summary provides data including specific biologic and environmental factors that are significantly associated with SLI, to ensure early intervention for children with SLI in the presence of identified risk factors.
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