Mean length of utterance in words (MLUw) and lexical diversity among Urdu speaking children between 3 to 3.11 years of age

Abstract

Background: Language is an excellent and convenient means of communication. Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) measures linguistic productivity in children. Objectives: to find the mean length of utterance in words and lexical diversity among children aged 3-3.11 years typically developing Urdu-speaking. Methods: The data of n=100 children of both genders of age between (3 to 3.11 years) who performed on blank levels 1 and 2 was collected through a cross-sectional survey. The data was collected from daycare centers and schools in Rawalpindi and Islamabad from November 2022 to June 2023. MLU calculation procedure was carried out through activities from ICW and Blank Level. For the calculation of MLU, the formula was used. Results: The Mean Length of Utterance at word level (MLUw)of children aged between 3 to 3.11 years was 3.43. In lexical diversity (LD) children have used Nouns (NN) most abundantly as 55% of Verbs (VB) with 35% Tense Auxiliaries (TA)30%. Conclusion: It is found that children's MLUw of 3.43 between the ages of 3 and 4 indicates an increase in speech complexity. Nouns, verbs, and tense auxiliaries have been recognized as the main elements via lexical analysis.

Keywords

• diversitylanguage disorderslexical marker;speech pathology