Timeline of mastering vowels

[jodydawn]

Hello all. I couldn't find any information on the web regarding the expected ages to start pronouncing different vowels. Our 14 months old is ok-ish when it comes to speech development - she makes up her own words and says some syllables standing for real words. However, she only ever uses 2 vowels - a (ah) and ɨ (doesn't have an equivalent in english). No o (as in dog), u (as in ooh), i (as in tip) or e (as in eh) sounds.

Probably it is not a big deal, but I am curious to know when vowel repertoire typically extends. Please share if you know articles on the topic, or remember your personal experience.

 

[heloise23]

@jodydawn There doesn’t seem to be much information on vowel sounds specifically. I found some SLP resources that said it’s very rare for children to have difficulties with vowel sounds and children who do usually have childhood apraxia of speech.

14 months is very early for speech. My 17-month-old has many words but so far the only vowel sounds she makes consistently are ‘oh’ ‘ah’ and ‘uh’.

This is pretty comprehensive info. My kiddo has mastered all the Early 8 Sounds and I haven’t noticed her getting any of the Middle 8. Many children don’t finish getting all the Early 8 until 2-3 years old.

 

[triangulumvivid]

@heloise23 This is extremely interesting, thank you for sharing!

I think it is worth noting that this applies to English, and the way vowels and consonants are pronounced may be different in other languages. Just flagging this as OP mentioned a vowel sound without an English equivalent, so that might be relevant to them!

 

[fanofjesus333]

@heloise23 Good comment. Just want to add, hearing loss can also create issues with vowel sounds.