Presentation - ECV2024-540

Children’s speech development: Italian

Sara LAVAGGI, The University of Sheffield, UK (saralavaggi.logo@gmail.com)
Annette FOX-BOYER, University of Lübeck, Germany (info@annette-fox-boyer.de)
Silke FRICKE, The University of Sheffield, UK (s.fricke@sheffield.ac.uk)

Italian is the official language of the Italian peninsula and the Canton Ticino. It is also spoken across several countries as a first or subsequent language (L1/L2). It presents local/regional variations and independent local dialects. Italian is characterized by 23 consonants, 7 vowels, and 9 diphthongs (plus 12 glide+V) and is considered a transparent language. Studies of children’s acquisition of Italian mostly focus on consonants, demonstrating continuing development beyond the age of 5;0. Typically developing children present both structural and systemic patterns. Research on children with speedh sound disorders (SSD) focused on children with phonological disorder or with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Several speech assessments are available. Interventions include, among others, perceptive-motor and cognitive-linguistic training, non-speech oral motor treatment (NSOMT), and Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT).

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

Book chapter:
Lavaggi, S., Fox-Boyer, A., & Fricke, S. (2025). Italian 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:

Scroll to Top