Table 4 The age and the order of acquisition and mastering of the Arabic phonemes among the colloquial Egyptian Arabic-speaking children included in this study
Age groups (age range in years) | Criteria set for phonemes acquisition | |
|---|---|---|
Acquired phonemes* | Mastered phonemes ** | |
Age group (1): 1 year 6 months ≤2 years | /t/, /d/ | The 6 long vowels (/æ:/, /ɑ:/, /i:/, /e:/, /u:/, /o:/) and the /b/, /m/, /h/, /w/, /j/, /ʔ/, /n/ |
Age group (2): 2≤2 years and 6 months | /l/ | /t/, /d/ |
Age group (3): 2 years and 6 months ≤3 years | /ħ/, /ʕ/ | /l/ |
Age group (4): 3 ≤3 years and 6 months | /g/, /k/ | /ħ/, /ʕ/ |
Age group (5): 3 years and 6 months ≤4 years | /f/ | /k/, /g/ |
Age group (6): 4 ≤4 years and 6 months | /x/, /ʃ/ | /f/ |
Age group (7): 4 years and 6 months ≤5 years | /s/, /sˁ/, /ɣ/ | /x/, /ʃ/ |
Age group (8): 5 ≤5 years and 6 months | /r/, /z/ | /s/, /sˁ/, /dˁ/, /tˁ/ |
Age group (9): 5 years and 6 months ≤6 years | /q/, /ð/, /ðˁ/, /θ/ | /r/, /z/, /ɣ/ |
Age group (10): 6 ≤6 years and 6 months | All phonemes were acquired | /q/, /ð/, /ðˁ/, /θ/ |
Age group (11): 6 years and 6 months ≤7 years | All phonemes (consonants and vowels) were mastered | |
Age group (12): 7 years ≤7 years and 4 months | ||