Speech Sound Acquisition in Urdu-speaking Children

INTRODUCTION: Developmental norms of speech sound acquisition provide a foundation for studying atypical development. Only a few studies have examined speech sound acquisition in Urdu, and these have primarily focused on consonant development and phonological processes. This study explored the acquisition of both consonants and vowels in children. METHODS: Speech samples were collected from 208 Urdu-speaking children aged between 2;7 and 6;0 years using the Urdu Speech Assessment Test. Analyses examined the age of phoneme emergence, acquisition, and mastery, as well as phoneme accuracy. RESULTS: Findings indicated that the acquisition and mastery of Urdu phonemes extended beyond age 6;0. The youngest group achieved 56.17 Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) and 74.56 Percentage of Vowels Correct (PVC), while the oldest group scored 73.27 and 80.44, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study provides normative data that can serve as a reference for Urdu speech sound assessment. The developmental trajectory revealed both universal trends and language-specific features, including the late acquisition of uvular stop and palatal and velar fricatives.