This investigation is concerned with the development of articulation skills in children aged three to six years. The subjects were randomly selected from 430 children enrolled it four day care nursery schools in Daegu. An articulation evaluation for 19 Korean consonants was administered to 239 children (124 boys, 115 girls).
The purposes of this inuestigation were as follows.
1. To investigate age differences in articulation development
2. To investigate sex differences in articulation development.
3. To investigate the pattern of articulation errors by consonant position, place of articulation, manner of articulation, developmental order, and pattern of substitutions, omissitions, and distortions.
4. To determine the need far speech therapy services.
The results of this investigation were as follows.
1. There was no significant difference in consonant errors between ratings by 9 nursery school teachers and the senior auther.
2. There was no significant difference in articulation scores between boys and girls.
3. As chronological age increased, articulation errors decreased, especially between the ages of 4 and 5.
4. Distortions were the most frequently observed error. followed by substitutions and omissions.
The developmental pattern of consonants appeared to be from omission to substitution to distortion to normal articulation.
5. According to consonant position, correct production of initial consonants was achieved before correct articulation of final consonants. Correct production of medical consonants was mastered later than the other two positions.
6. Correct articulation of nasal consonants was achieved before production of fricatives. Most fricatives were found to develop between the ages of 3 and 4, while other consonant types appeared to develop between the ages of 4 and 5.
7. Correct articulation of bilabial and glottal consonants was achieved before 3 years of age, but palatal consonants were not developed until after 5 years of age.
8. There was no significant pattern of kinds of conconant substitutions although there was a tendency for bilabial to be substituted for bilabial plosives.
9. The results appear to indicate that ages 4 and 5 are important in the development of articulation skills.
Conclusions indicate that children presenting with articulation errors after age five, may not spontaneously develop normal articulation and should be considered for speech therapy services.
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