Presentation - ECV2024-572

Children’s speech development: Welsh

Robert MAYR, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales (rmayr@cardiffmet.ac.uk)
Rhonwen LEWIS, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales (rholewis@cardiffmet.ac.uk)
Yvonne WREN, North Bristol NHS Trust, University of Sheffield, City University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Plymouth Marjon University, UK (yvonne.wren@bristol.ac.uk)

Abstract and slides only

Welsh is spoken in Wales and in a small number of areas within Chubut Province, Argentina. There are many socially and geographically defined varieties, with particularly salient differences between northern and southern pronunciations. Welsh is characterized by an extensive system of consonants, onset and coda clusters, vowels, and diphthongs. Studies of children’s acquisition of Welsh to date have a particular focus on consonants, consonant clusters, and early word forms. Research on atypical development is restricted to a small number of case studies. No formal assessments and interventions are available that have been specifically developed for Welsh.

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

Book chapter:
Mayr, M., Lewis, R., & Wren, Y. (2025). Welsh speech development. In S. McLeod (Ed.). The Oxford handbook of speech development in languages of the world. Oxford University Press.

Language overview presentation – forthcoming:

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

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