Presentation - ECV2024-514

Children’s speech development: English (Cajun

Hyunju CHUNG, Louisiana State University, Louisiana, USA (hchung@lsu.edu)
Janna B. OETTING Louisiana State University, Louisiana, USA (cdjanna@lsu.edu)

Cajun English is spoken in the Acadian Triangle (Acadiana) of Louisiana in the United States. Cajun French is considered the heritage dialect, which was brought to Louisiana in the mid-1700s. Cajun English is characterized by a similar phoneme inventory as General American English; however, defining phonological features of the dialect include distinct vowel and consonant productions as well as distinct stress patterns at the word and sentence level. There are very few studies of children’s acquisition and use of Cajun English. Thus, little is known about children’s development of this dialect and the dialectal changes they make as they age and become exposed to other English dialects. No studies have examined children with speech sound disorders within the context of Cajun English. Common speech assessments and interventions include those designed for General American English.

Key words:
Cajun English, multilingual, communication, speech, language, children’s development, interdisciplinary, international communities, assessment, intervention

Book chapter:
Chung, H., & Oetting, J. B. (2025). English (Cajun) speech development. In S. McLeod (Ed.). The Oxford handbook of speech development in languages of the world. Oxford University Press.

Language overview presentation:

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

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