Journal of Communication Disorders最新文献

{"title":"A multicultural perspective of stuttering in the workplace","authors":"Angela M. Medina ,&nbsp;Monica L. Johnson ,&nbsp;Kristina E. Bonfield ,&nbsp;Madison O. Irvine ,&nbsp;Maria K. Nadal","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2026.106628","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2026.106628","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>It is well-documented that people who stutter face inequities and discrimination in the workplace; however, there exists a gap in the literature regarding what the workplace is like for people who stutter with intersecting, marginalized identities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the workplace experiences of culturally diverse people who stutter (CDPWS) through the lens of the intersectional ecological framework.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Qualitative methods were adopted for the collection and analysis of data. The seven participants in this study completed an online questionnaire and participated in a semi-structured focus group. Transcripts generated from the focus group were investigated using thematic analysis procedures.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The data gave rise to five major themes as well as multiple subthemes: (1) Disclosure at work, (2) Career-specific challenges, (3) Motivations for choosing career, (4) Intersectionality, and (5) Roles of others in the workplace.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study offers a novel view of the workplace experiences of CDPWS by adopting qualitative methods and using the intersectional ecological framework to enhance thematic analysis findings. While the workplace-based concerns revealed in this study are similar to those described in previous literature, a major difference was the sentiment that CDPWS bring two types of “baggage” to their jobs, their stuttering and their race/ethnicity. The findings of this study have clinical implications for the imperativeness of having open conversations with clients about the identities that intersect with their stuttering and how this impacts them in different aspects of their lives, including the workplace.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"120 ","pages":"Article 106628"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146030349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Leave the thorn, enjoy the rose” identity formation of people with aphasia in the early rehabilitation phase","authors":"Rianne Brinkman ,&nbsp;Mieke Cardol ,&nbsp;Karin Neijenhuis ,&nbsp;Margreet Luinge ,&nbsp;Carlo Leget","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2026.106627","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2026.106627","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and purpose</h3><div>Aphasia can profoundly affect an individual’s identity. Yet studying identity in people with aphasia presents methodological challenges, as language, our primary medium for self-expression, is disrupted. This study explored how people with aphasia experience and reshape identity during early rehabilitation, using narrative inquiry and visual ethnography. This approach aims to deepen understanding of identity formation and change, and the potential value of creative arts in supporting meaningful research participation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Twenty-two people with post-stroke aphasia (aged 34–62) were recruited from Dutch rehabilitation centers six to eight weeks post-admission. Each participant took part in two sessions: one individual session and one follow-up session attended by proxies. In the individual sessions, arts-based visual participatory methods were used to elicit narratives. Data analysis integrated the listening guide, embodiment, and the production of the image and the image itself.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Findings reveal that identity formation after aphasia is complex and ongoing, characterized by multiple, complementary, and sometimes conflicting voices. Affirming, coping, and challenging voices interact within key tensions: connection versus disconnection, agency versus disempowerment, and personal growth versus living loss. Visual participatory methods were valued by participants. The creative process provided an alternative way to express experiences when verbal communication was limited.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Combining narrative inquiry and visual ethnography, supported by skilled facilitation, offers a promising way to reveal identity changes and support people with aphasia in sharing their experiences. This study shows that using integrated approaches is not only methodologically necessary but also ethically important for enabling meaningful participation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"120 ","pages":"Article 106627"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146020009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictors of communication ability in Angelman syndrome: evidence from Polish individuals","authors":"Marcin Opacki ,&nbsp;Agata Suleja ,&nbsp;Robert Śmigiel ,&nbsp;Dominik Cysewski ,&nbsp;Kacper Łukasiewicz","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2026.106624","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2026.106624","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects cognitive and executive functioning, as well as emotional, expressive, sensory, and physical behavior. Children with AS demonstrate a distinct lack of expressive speech, with recognizable words appearing only seldom. No data regarding the prevalence of AS in the Polish population is available to date, resulting in a diagnostic gap.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The current work reports on the results of applying the Observer Reported Communication Ability (ORCA) questionnaire to provide new data on the linguistic abilities of Polish individuals affected by AS. 73 individuals were included in the analysis with a median age of 111.02 months, 39 of them female.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Based on our analyses, we conclude that individuals without deletions have a greater communication ability relative to individuals with deletions. We found no correlation between age and language ability in AS, which corroborates previous claims that language skills in AS become stunted at some point. We did not find any significant predictors of communication ability tied to socio-economic status or gender.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our results suggest that – as far as communication abilities are concerned – an awareness of an individual’s genetic diagnosis when choosing therapy can increase the likelihood of optimized care being given.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"120 ","pages":"Article 106624"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracking aural (Re)habilitation outcomes with the mandarin auditory skills checklist: Normative data and clinical insights","authors":"Yi-ping Chang ,&nbsp;Hsuan-Mei Hong ,&nbsp;Shu-Ting Chang ,&nbsp;Pei-Hua Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2026.106616","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2026.106616","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study aimed to establish a clinically robust and time-efficient tool for tracking auditory development in young children undergoing early intervention. By building upon the Auditory Skills Checklist (ASC), the study introduced a validated short form (ASC-SF), developed age-based norms, and demonstrated its real-world applicability using large-scale data from Mandarin-speaking children. While adapted for a specific linguistic context, the tool’s design and methodology are broadly transferable and relevant to pediatric audiology across diverse populations.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The Mandarin ASC and ASC-SF were respectively administered to 520 children with normal hearing (NH) aged 0–78 months, and 357 children with hearing loss (HL) aged 8–78 months receiving auditory-verbal (AV) therapy. Psychometric evaluation included internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion-related validity with the Parent’s Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance of Children (PEACH) scale. Normative curves were derived using a logistic function fitted to parent-reported ASC scores from NH children. Large-scale cross-sectional data using the ASC-SF were analyzed to track developmental outcomes in children with HL by both chronological age and duration of intervention. Case studies were also included to demonstrate how ASC results can guide individualized goal setting and intervention adjustment.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The Mandarin ASC demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.97) and test-retest reliability (<em>r</em> = 0.97, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.00001). Criterion validity was strong with PEACH scores (<em>r</em> = 0.94, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.00001). Normative data showed age-related increases in auditory skills, with median scores reaching 93% by age four. Among children with HL, approximately 70% achieved comparable auditory skills to their NH peers by age two, 80% by age four, and 90% by age six. Based on AV intervention duration, over 80% reached age-appropriate auditory skills after two years, and over 90% after four years. Subscale analyses and case studies further demonstrated how the ASC framework supports individualized progress monitoring and clinical decision-making.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The Mandarin ASC is a valid, reliable, and clinically valuable tool for tracking auditory development in Mandarin-speaking children. The ASC-SF extends its practicality by enabling efficient routine follow-up in large clinical populations. With age-specific norms, case-based interpretation, and flexible formats, the ASC provides a robust framework for evaluating intervention outcomes, setting personalized goals, and communicating progress with families in pediatric audiology and aural (re)habilitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"120 ","pages":"Article 106616"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146031260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Voice changes during dual task walking in Parkinson’s disease","authors":"Yi-Fang Chiu ,&nbsp;Jason K. Longhurst ,&nbsp;Annalise R. Fletcher ,&nbsp;Travis Loux","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Concurrent talking and walking are integral to everyday life. This study aimed to examine how dual task walking involving spontaneous speech affects phonatory and gait parameters in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD).</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Thirty-six individuals with PD and 11 healthy older adults (HOA) participated in the study. Participants completed dual tasks which consisted of producing monologues along with a simple gait (i.e., straight-line walking) and a complex gait (i.e., walking with turning and obstacle avoidance). Sound pressure level (SPL) and fundamental frequency (F0) were analyzed from the monologues. Gait variables included velocity, stride length, and enhanced gait variability index (eGVI). Multilevel linear models were performed to determine the effects of group and conditions on phonatory and gait measures.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Both groups exhibited similar patterns of increased mean SPL and F0 in dual task conditions compared to single task speaking. The PD group, however, showed greater declines in gait velocity and stride length during dual tasking particularly in the complex gait condition.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Individuals with PD demonstrated comparable dual task intensity increase to HOA, albeit at the expense of gait metrics of slower walking and smaller steps. This suggests a task prioritization pattern of favoring vocal output in PD during concurrent walking tasks. Individual factors of motor symptoms and balance control appear to moderate the positive voice dual task effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"119 ","pages":"Article 106615"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing the performance of bilingual children with developmental language disorder and typical development on sentence repetition: A systematic review","authors":"Seow Li Ang ,&nbsp;Alicia Yue Hwa Lee ,&nbsp;Mary Lay Choo Lee ,&nbsp;Wei Ping Sze","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106614","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106614","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Over the past decade, researchers have compared the performance of bilingual children with developmental language disorder (DLD) to those with typical development (TD), using the Sentence Repetition Task (SRT) to assess language abilities. Understanding the differences in their performance on the SRT is crucial for future assessment, intervention and research. This systematic review compares the performance of bilingual children with DLD against those with TD on their first (L1) and second (L2) language SRT results. It also investigates the impact of participant-related variables (e.g., scores on receptive vocabulary tasks) on the results.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>A systematic search of eight electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, LLBA, ERIC, Embase and Dissertations and Theses) yielded 3204 records. Studies assessing bilingual children with TD and DLD on the SRT were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Cochrane Risk Of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>After screening, 15 studies met the eligibility criteria. Eight studies reported on L1 performance and 13 studies reported on L2 performance. All eight L1 studies and 12 of the L2 studies showed that the performance of bilingual children with DLD was significantly weaker than that of TD children on the SRTs. Data suggested that working memory (represented by nonword repetition scores) and receptive vocabulary might influence participants’ performance.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This review suggests that the performance of bilingual children with DLD is significantly weaker than those with TD on both L1 and L2 SRTs. There is preliminary evidence from a small number of studies examining participant-related variables that weaker working memory and receptive vocabulary may underlie poorer SRT performance in bilingual children with DLD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"120 ","pages":"Article 106614"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145915148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Storytelling and retelling in students with hearing loss–A comparison between tasks with special consideration of referential elements","authors":"Lara Hardebeck ,&nbsp;Ulla Licandro ,&nbsp;Paula Bartsch ,&nbsp;Esther Ruigendijk","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106613","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106613","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Narratives are a fundamental aspect of human communication and they play a critical role in academic success for school-aged children. This study aims to examine the oral narrative skills of German-speaking students with hearing loss who attend inclusive schools, with a particular focus on comparing their abilities in a storytelling and retelling task. Additionally, the study investigates the use of referential elements and functions, and explores the relationship between spoken narrative skills, receptive vocabulary, and phonological working memory to identify factors associated with oral narrative performance.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The sample consisted of 25 students with hearing loss (<em>M</em> = 11;0 years), who completed a standardized storytelling and retelling task, alongside assessments of receptive vocabulary and phonological working memory. Data were analyzed for both macro- and microstructure, as well as referential elements and functions. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between narrative skills, receptive vocabulary, and phonological working memory.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Students performed better on the retelling task compared the storytelling task in both macro- and microstructural elements. In their narratives, students predominantly used indefinite and definite noun phrases for character introductions, pronouns for maintaining references, and definite noun phrases for reintroductions. Receptive vocabulary correlated with comprehension questions in storytelling, but not with other narrative parameters.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Different narrative tasks place distinct linguistic demands on students with hearing loss. Retelling tasks provide a more structured method for assessing narrative skills, while storytelling tasks offer a deeper insight into more complex narrative construction. In addition, receptive vocabulary appears to be relevant for macrostructural skills in the storytelling task.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"119 ","pages":"Article 106613"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Translation and validation of the persian version of the acceptance and action questionnaire-managing child hearing loss (AAQ-MCHL)","authors":"Sadegh Jafarzadeh ,&nbsp;Jamshid Jamali","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Psychological acceptance plays a critical role in how parents cope with their child's hearing loss, influencing their emotional well-being and management strategies. The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Managing Child Hearing Loss (AAQ-MCHL) is a psychometric scale designed to assess this construct.</div></div><div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Persian version of the AAQ-MCHL for use among Iranian parents.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>This psychometric validation study comprised two main phases: Translation and Cultural Adaptation, followed by Psychometric Evaluation. The AAQ-MCHL underwent standard forward–backward translation by bilingual experts, followed by synthesis and review by an expert panel to ensure linguistic and cultural relevance. For psychometric evaluation, parents of children with hearing loss in Mashhad, Iran, were recruited. Validity was assessed via face validity (impact scores) with 10 parents, content validity (Content Validity Ratio [CVR], Content Validity Index [CVI]) with 10 experts, and construct validity through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with 200 parents (response rate: 96.5 %). Reliability was evaluated via internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and test–retest reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC]) with 30 parents. Items with low factor loadings (&lt;0.40) were removed during refinement. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and AMOS.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The final six-item version demonstrated good internal consistency (α=0.767) and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC=0.914). CFA confirmed acceptable model fit after removing items 3 and 6, which had low factor loadings. Impact scores and content validity indices supported the face and content validity of the remaining items.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The Persian version of the AAQ-MCHL is a valid and reliable questionnaire for assessing parental acceptance of childhood hearing loss in Iran. The item deletion underscores the influence of cultural factors on measurement; hence, future studies should focus on refining culturally sensitive items. This tool provides a foundation for supporting psychological interventions aimed at enhancing parental coping mechanisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"119 ","pages":"Article 106612"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of exposure to additional languages and cognitive factors on narrative macrostructure in autistic and neurotypical children","authors":"Pauline Wolfer ,&nbsp;Freideriki Tselekidou ,&nbsp;Franziska Baumeister ,&nbsp;Natalia Gagarina ,&nbsp;Stephanie Durrleman","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study adopts a twofold approach to examine how bilingual exposure and (socio-)cognitive factors influence narrative macrostructure in children. First, it investigated the impact of <em>Exposure to Additional Languages</em> (EtAL) on the narrative macrostructure of 90 autistic and 168 neurotypical children (ages 5–12), tested in their most proficient language, either English, French, (Swiss-)German, Italian or Spanish. Macrostructure was assessed through story structure, story complexity, and the production of Internal State Terms (IST), using a series of generalized mixed effects models controlling for age, sex, language skills, and non-verbal IQ. Among neurotypical children, greater EtAL predicted better story structure compared to peers with lower EtAL. No such effect was found in autistic children, suggesting that the potential benefits of EtAL may not extend equally across populations. Additionally, EtAL did not predict story complexity or IST-use in either group. Second, the study investigated the impact of Theory of Mind (ToM), working memory (WM), and metalinguistic awareness (MA) on macrostructure. While ToM and WM showed no significant effects, MA positively predicted story structure across groups. Findings indicate that dimensions of narrative macrostructure may benefit from exposure to multiple languages and MA, especially in neurotypical children. Results further support that, despite advice being provided to families of children with autism to abandon bilingualism, bilingual exposure is not detrimental to the communicative development of autistic children. Leveraging a large, neurodiverse sample and a continuous, hypothesis-driven measure of bilingualism, this study provides generalizable insights into how bilingualism and (socio-)cognitive factors influence narrative development across neurodiverse populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"119 ","pages":"Article 106611"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145821785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Listener perceptions of word-final /l/: Effects of listener dialect","authors":"Hyunju Chung ,&nbsp;Sarah K. Schellinger","doi":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106610","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcomdis.2025.106610","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>This study examines the effect of listener dialect on perception of the /l/ sound. In some varieties of English, word-final /l/ is more vocalized than in others. The current study follows up on our previous study, which investigated Southern White English (SWE)-speaking listeners’ perception of word-final /l/ produced by SWE speakers. The aim of the current study is to examine perception of listeners who are speakers Upper Midwest English (UME), a dialect that shows less word-final /l/ vocalization than SWE.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Listeners included 32 monolingual speakers of UME who judged the /l/-likeness of single words containing word-final /l/ produced by adult and child speakers of SWE using a multiple-choice task and a visual analog scale. Ratings were also compared with those of SWE listeners.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Like the SWE listeners, UME listeners judged SWE adult speakers’ word-final /l/ predominantly as accurate, while those of children were judged as more vowel-like. Vowel context also influenced both UME and SWE listeners’ judgments, with productions of /l/ following low back vowels generally judged as less accurate than those following high front vowels. Despite these similarities, there were subtle differences across the two dialect groups, particularly in terms of the effect of vowel context.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This demonstrates that despite subtle differences in perceptual ratings across dialect groups, speaker age and vowel context more substantially influence perceptual judgments. This suggests that it is important to consider the potential impact of vowel context and to include word-final /l/ in both high front and low back vowel contexts to prevent overidentification of errors in clinical settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49175,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Communication Disorders","volume":"119 ","pages":"Article 106610"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}