PURPOSE: To describe and compare the F1, F2 and F3 formants of the liquids /l, λ, r/ produced by children with and without phonological impairment. METHODS: Fifty nine children were separated into three groups: Control Group (CG), with absence of disorders in speech and language development; Experimental Group 1 (EG1), with presence of the process of liquids simplification and/or cluster simplification; and Experimental Group 2 (EG2), with liquid simplification and any other processes. Children were requested to repeat the syllables la, li, lu; λa, λi, λu and ra, ri, ru and the words /se’bola/, /’lãma/, /’miλu/, /ζaka’r<FONT FACE=Symbol>e</font>/, /ζi’rafa/, /pa’λasu/. Data were stored and analyzed in the Computerized Speech Laboratory. Statistical analyses were provided. RESULTS: Regarding the formants, the CG showed great differences between the three studied sounds. Between-groups analysis showed that F3 presented the greatest modifications. Distorted sounds did not present significant differences between EG1 and EG2 and the substituted ones showed differences in F3 only for the consonant /λ/. CONCLUSIONS: The liquids substitutions and distortions found in EG1 and EG2 children had similar characteristics, independently of having only the process of liquid simplification or others in their speech.
Speech acoustics; Language development disorders; Child language; Speech disorders; Voice quality; Child development
