Whole Word Phonological Measures in Typically Developing Native Nepali Speaking Children: A Cross-sectional Comparative Study

Abstract

Aims and Objectives: To establish preliminary normative reference data for Phonological Mean Length of Utterance, Proportion of Word Proximity, and Percentage of Words Correct in native Nepali-speaking children aged 2 to 3 years and examine developmental differences between age groups.
Methods: Twenty-four typically developing children (12 males, 12 females) were recruited from a Kathmandu preschool, divided into two groups ≥2.0 to <2.6 years (n=12) and ≥2.6 to <3.0 years (n=12). Participants completed a picture-naming task using 50 familiar stimuli. Speech samples were audio-recorded and phonetically transcribed. Phonological Mean Length of Utterance, Proportion of Word Proximity, and Percentage of Words Correct were calculated following established protocols.
Results: Significant age-related improvements were observed across all whole-word phonological measures. Children aged 2.5–3.0 years demonstrated higher Phonological Mean Length of Utterance, Proportion of Word Proximity, and Percentage of Words Correct scores than those aged 2.0–2.5 years (p < 0.05). Strong positive correlations were found between chronological age and Phonological Mean Length of Utterance (r = 0.76) and Percentage of Words Correct (r = 0.79), while Proportion of Word Proximity showed a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.58). These findings indicate progressive improvement in phonological complexity and accuracy with age in Nepali-speaking children.
Conclusion: Results demonstrated developmental progression in phonological complexity and accuracy between 2 and 3 years in Nepali-speaking children. These preliminary normative reference values provided valuable reference data for clinical assessment and research in this understudied population.
Keywords: Nepali language, phonological development, speech assessment, whole-word measures, phonological mean length of utterance, percentage of words correct, proportion of whole-word proximity