Recent census results show that Welsh is spoken by 11,900 children aged 3-4 and 134,700 children aged 5 to 15. Despite the large number of Welsh-speaking children in Wales, there has been little research on speech development in Welsh-English bilingual children. Work on Welsh phonetics in general is limited, based on descriptive data with small numbers of speakers which poses challenges for SLTs working in Wales, who require detailed information about speech development in Welsh-English bilingual children to assess, diagnose and treat speech disorders.

This project will examine the acquisition of consonants in typically developing Welsh-English bilingual children. Specifically, the project will focus on the development of the consonant inventory in children between the ages of 2 and 7. This project has practical implications for professional use such as SLTs and other professionals working with young children.