Phonological Processes in Kannada Speaking Identical Twins

Abstract

Children make predictable pronunciation errors during normal speech development. These 'errors' are called phonological processes. This study investigated the various phonological processes occurring in Kannada speaking monozygotic twins (identical twins). Two pairs of monozygotic twins (all were females) with the age of 3 years participated in this study. The Kannada Articulation Test (Babu, Ratna, & Bettagiri, 1972) was selected as test material for this study. Word repetition task was used to elicit responses from the subjects. The analysis of speech samples revealed the presence of six various phonological processes. It was found that five phonological processes were common in both the twin pairs. The findings highlighted the influence of genetics and environmental factors that contribute to the similarity between co-twins. However, further research is warranted for substantiation.