Phonologische Prozesse in der deutschen Sprache türkisch-deutsch bilingualer Kinder

Background A reliable identification of speech sound disorders (SSD) requires detailed knowledge about the typical speech acquisition process, specifically about phonological patterns. To date, data on speech acquisition in bilingual populations are rare, which hinders the diagnostic process with regard to SSDs in bilingual children. Methods Eighty-four typically developing children growing up bilingual Turkish-German (aged 3;0-5;5) were assessed on a picture naming test for German in order to investigate the occurring phonological patterns. Results Excluding very few exceptions (e.g. vowel errors), the Turkish-German-speaking participants mainly showed error patterns in German that are typical for monolingual children acquiring German but with a later age of suppression. Differences between children growing up simultaneous bilingual or successive bilingual were minimal. Discussion The present findings concerning phonological acquisition in Turkish-German bilinguals confirm previous pilot studies and could be used as preliminary clinical guidance when diagnosing SSDs in Turkish-German bilingual children.