Consonant profile of Arabic-speaking school-age children in Jordan
Author: Hamdan JM, Amayreh MM
Source:
Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 59(2), 55-64.
The paper provides a detailed consonant profile of 100 Jordanian children at the
onset of formal schooling. The data were elicited through a modified version of
Amayreh's (1994) articulation test. The findings showed that all consonants of
Jordanian Spoken Arabic were acquired. The six consonants that were not acquired
in Standard Arabic have dialectal forms. The accuracy rates of these consonants
were discussed in the light of frequency of occurrence of consonants and
diglossiThe study recommended an earlier targeting of consonants that have
dialectal variants. It also suggested that knowledge of the diglossic nature of
Arabic is important for literacy development as well as for diagnosis and
treatment of articulation problems.