Canadian French is spoken in Canada and there are two main varieties: Laurentian and Acadian. Canadian French is characterized by 20 consonants, a variety of consonant clusters in syllable initial and final position that occur in different word positions, a large vowel inventory including allophonic variation, and a writing system based on the Roman alphabet. There are several studies of children’s acquisition of Canadian French, particularly the Laurentian variety that demonstrate early consonant acquisition between the ages of 20 months to 7 years. Researchers have also focused on children with speech sound disorders. Common speech assessments include Évaluation Sommaire de la Phonologie des enfants d’âge Préscolaire, Test de Phonologie du Français Canadien-Depistage, and Test de Dépistage Francophone de la Phonologie.

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

Book chapter:
MacLeod, A., Bérubé, D., Rvachew, S., & Brosseau-Lapré, F. (2025). French (Canadian) speech development. In S. McLeod (Ed.). The Oxford handbook of speech development in languages of the world. Oxford University Press.

Language overview presentation:

• MacLeod, A., Bérubé, D., Rvachew, S., & Brosseau-Lapré, F. (2024). French (Canadian): Multilingual children’s speech development. Charles Sturt University, Australia. https://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/languages
• PowerPoint: French (Canadian) [English version] – Children’s Speech Development (pdf)

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

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals