Objective

2

To investigate the accuracy rate and error trends of flat and retroflex sounds among preschool children

to analyze the pronunciation difficulty of flat and retroflex sounds in different pronunciation positions

and to explore the reasons affecting their accuracy rate.

Methods

2

250 children aged 3 - 5 years old were selected. Some words from the "Articulation and Phonetic Ability Assessment Word List" were used as test materials. Descriptive statistics and non - parametric tests were used to analyze their phonetic abilities of flat and retroflex sounds.

Results

2

The number of children making mistakes in the retroflex sounds /r/

/sh/

/zh/ and the flat sound /z/ was relatively high. 17 children did not master the pronunciation of /r/ and /sh/

12 children did not master the pronunciation of /zh/

and 11 children did not master the pronunciation of /z/. The average accuracy rate of flat and retroflex sounds in the 3-year-old group was 88%

in the 4-year-old group was 93%

and in the 5-year-old group incresed to 97%. Age had a main effect

with a highly significant difference (

P

=0.002＜0.0

1)

and there was a highly significant difference between the 3-year-old and 5-year-old groups (

P

=0.000＜0.01). In the 3-5-year-old groups

no omission problems occurred in the error trends of flat and retroflex sounds

and they were mainly distributed in two error trends: substitution and distortion. The error trend occurrence rate in the 3-year-old group was relatively high

mostly in the form of substitution. With the increase of age

the error trend occurrence rate in the 5-year-old group gradually decreased

with occasional distortion. For preschool children aged 3 to 5 years old

when the flat sound was combined with /-i/

the main substitution process was the retroflexion of apical anterior sounds. When the flat sound was combined with /-u/

the main substitution process was also the retroflexion of apical anterior sounds. When the retroflex sound was combined with /-i/

the main substitution error process was the non - retroflexion of anterior - posterior tongue sounds. When /r/ was combined with /-ou/

the main substitution error process was the lateralization of anterior - posterior tongue sounds.

Conclusion

2

Substitution is the main form of phonological process in children's speech development. The acquisition of retroflex sounds is later than that of flat sounds. The age of 5 may be a node for the acquisition of flat and retroflex sounds.