TYPICAL AND ATYPICAL PHONOLOGICAL ACQUISITION OF CCV SYLLABIC PATTERN: ACOUSTIC AND ARTICULATORY DATA

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study is to characterize the production of words with the target-syllables CCV and CV types in children with typical and atypical phonological development. The hypotheses were: H1 - the production of target words with CV and CCV syllable of the typical children would present different ultrasound and acoustic measurements; H2 - ultrasound and acoustic measurements could differentiate the clinical condition of the children; H3 - children with atypical production could present differences in ultrasound and acoustic measurements between the CCV targets (being the rhotic in the position of C2) and CV (CCV aurally judged as CV). Ten children recorded words with the target-syllables CCV and CV. Subsequently, perceptive, acoustic, and ultrasound analysis were performed (ratios between tip and blade of the tongue (TT/BT), tip and dorsum of the tongue (TT/DT) and blade and dorsum of the tongue), being analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA. The H1 was corroborated by the ratios between TT/BT, TT/DT and BT/DT, indicating that typical children produce higher elevation of tip and blade of tongue on the CCV target-syllable when compared to the CV target-syllable. The H2 and H3 were partially confirmed by the ratio between TT/DT and BT/DT and between TT/DT and BT/DT, respectively. The results suggest that children with typical development seem to be in the direction of the target production, since, in CCV patterns, a higher elevation of TT and duration occurs when compared to the CV syllable. For atypical children, the ratios between TT/DT show that they have a tip of tongue elevation of 18.23% in the CCV target syllables, while in the CV target syllable it is 13.58%, suggesting the presence of TT elevation to produce the tap sound with reduced magnitude and non-overlapping gestures of the CCV target, as well as undifferentiated gestures.