Acquisition of Diphthongs by Granada Spanish-Speaking Preschoolers With Typical Versus Protracted Phonological Development

The current study is the first to report on diphthong acquisition in detail for Spanish-speaking children with typical development (TD) versus protracted phonological development (PPD), examining the impacts of frequency and complexity factors during development and providing a foundation for future research and clinical applications. A database of single-word productions of 59 Granada Spanish-speaking 3- to 5-year-olds included 11 diphthong types with falling sonority (e.g., /au/) and 17 with the more frequent rising sonority (e.g., /ua/). A rubric with assigned values served to examine relative influences of frequency and complexity in development. Older and TD children and rising diphthongs were most accurate, although individual diphthongs showed effects of individual word complexity and frequency (diphthong/word). Diphthong reduction was the most common mismatch (error), although more complex mismatch patterns occurred in younger children and those with PPD. Larger-scale investigations are needed to provide normative references and a deeper investigation of frequency and complexity effects.