Annotation of disfluencies in child speech

Authors: Valentin Kany, Jürgen Trouvain

Abstract:

This study introduces a scheme for annotating disfluencies in the speech of preschool children. Based on this scheme, an individual fluency profile is compiled and presented that provides an overview of various fluency-related aspects of the child’s speech. Such a profile is intended to be used and integrated into language proficiency assessments. The study reports preliminary results of the fluency behaviour of a small sample of children (n=10) and demonstrates how the speech fluency profile can be put into use. A high degree of individuality in the usage pattern of different disfluency types is found, which underlines the importance of the individual view the fluency profile offers. Thus, the behaviour of two children with respect to their fluency is compared. Two radar charts derived from their fluency profile highlight the individual differences. The study discusses the meaning of this fluency assessment in the field and proposes a possible approach to integrate it into general language proficiency assessments.