Development of syllable structure in Azeri-speaking children

Introduction: the length and complexity of syllable structure in the utterances of the children increases with age.Given the important and determining role of syllable in the speech process, performance of developmental studies on syllable acquisition in children are essential. The aim of the present study was to investigate the development and acquisition of syllable structure and the distribution of syllable pattern in Azeri-speaking children. Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted on Seventeen Azeri-speaking children (18-24 month old) selected by the cluster sampling method from Tabriz’s kindergartens and lasted for 6 months. A researcher-made vocabulary sheet, vocabulary list, and verbal play were used to record children's expressive vocabulary. After collecting each child's vocabulary list, the target vocabulary was classified by syllable number and syllable structure. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: In 18 and 19 months 67% of vocabulary words were monosyllable, 24% bisyllable and 9% more than bisyllable. The highest amount of syllable pattern production for monosyllable and bisyllable was CVC(36%) and CVCV(52%), respectively. Distribution of syllable patterns changed with age, as well as patterns became more complex. In these two months the rate of usage of open and close syllables was 35% and 65%, respectively; this ratio was constant with age. Conclusion: The children produced coda consonants before they were able to distinguish vowel length. Closed syllables were acquired earlier than the vowel length, and obstruent consonants at the syllable coda position before sonorant consonants. At first the children were not able to distinguish vowel length, but with age, they showed short and long vowels representation.