ARTICULATION OF THE ALVEOLAR TRILL IN NATIVE SPEAKERS OF BULGARIAN. PRELIMINARY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA
Keywords:
speech sound disorders, specific articulation disorder, impaired articulation, articulation disorders, rhotacismAbstract
Speech sound disorders (SSD) present speakers with difficulties in perception, motor production, or phonological representation of speech sounds and segments in a language. They can manifest as omissions, substitutions or distortions of different groups of sounds. When the articulation of the alveolar trill /r/ is affected, the term rhotacism is commonly used. SSDs are some of the most common communication disorders, affecting both children and adults. Speech sound disorders often have a negative effect on an individual’s academic, professional, and social success. Thus, it is important to further the scientific knowledge of their description, diagnosis, and treatment. In addition, Bulgaria has not had a large scale, detailed epidemiological study of rhotacism errors and subtypes in recent years. This article aims to present preliminary demographic data from an acoustic study of the articulation of the /r/ sound in Bulgarian children and adults. The study included 248 adult and child speakers of Bulgarian aged 5;0 and 63;0 years old (141 M, 108 F). They were divided into five groups from 5 to 6 years old (12 children, 4.8%), from 6 to 7 years old (45 children, 18.1%), from 7 to 10 years old (159 children, 64.1%), from 10 to 12 years old (21 children, 8.5%), and from 25 to 63 years old (11 adults, 4.4%). Of them, 103 are female (41.5%), and 145 male (58%). Data collection took place in Sofia city, Bulgaria, between November 2025 and March 2026. In total, four kindergartens, 25 schools, one university, and one private speech language pathology practice in 15 city districts were surveyed. Ten of the participants (4%) were bi or trilingual, 238 (96%) were not. 203 (81.9%) of the study’s participants demonstrated differences in the vocal tract anatomy/physiology, while 45 (18.1%) didn’t. In 242 participants (97.6%) a communication disorder was identified. Of those, 118 (48.8%) demonstrated monomorphic and 124 (51.2%) polymorphic type. The largest percent of incorrect articulation was registered with the late ontogenesis sounds /ɫ/ (68.5%) and /r/ (72.2%), followed by the middle ontogenesis sibilants /s, z, t͡s/ and /ʃ, ʒ, t͡ʃ/ (52.4%). The age group 5 6 demonstrates the most /r/ sound errors (100%) with a general tendency for this percentage to decline with age, followed by ages 7 10 (74.2%), 6 7 (73.3%), 10 12 (61.9%), and 25 63 (27.3%). The reviewed descriptive, diagnostic, and articulation characteristics will be part of a subsequent analyses of the acoustic characteristics of the impaired articulation of the alveolar trill /r/. This study has implications for practicing speech language pathologists in providing current data on speech sound disorders, which will inform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
References
Allard, E. R., & Williams, D. F. (2008). Listeners’ perceptions of speech and language disorders. Journal of Communication Disorders, 41, 108–123.
Benway, N. R., Tabatabaee, S., Wang, D., Munson, B., Preston, J. L., & Espy-Wilson, C. (2026). Perceptual Ratings Predict Speech Inversion Articulatory Kinematics in Childhood Speech Sound Disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 69(2), 541–561. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00515
Bernthal, John. E., Bankson, N. W., & Flipsen Jr., P. (2022). Speech sound disorders in children. Articulation & phonological disorders. (9th ed.). Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Bode, C., Ghaltakhchyan, N., Rezende Silva, E., Turvey, T., Blakey, G., White, R., Mielke, J., Zajac, D., & Jacox, L. (2023). Impacts of Development, Dentofacial Disharmony, and Its Surgical Correction on Speech: A Narrative Review for Dental Professionals. Applied Sciences, 13(9), 5496. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13095496
Boyanova, V., Asenova, I., & Vinarova, Z. (2013). Izsledvane i analizi na komunikativni narushenia v detski zavedenia [Research and analysis of communication disorders in educational institutions]. Bulgarian Journal of Public Health, 5(4), 64–76.
Cronin, S. A., Blanchet, P. G., Klonsky, B. G., & Piazza, N. (2014). The effect of a modeled /r/ articulatory disorder on listener perceptions of speech skills and personality traits. Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders, 41, 169–178.
Dediu, D., & Moisik, S. R. (2019). Pushes and pulls from below: Anatomical variation, articulation and sound change. Glossa: A Journal of General Linguistics, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.646
Hall, B. J. C. (1991). Attitudes of fourth and sixth graders toward peers with mild articulation disorders. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 22(1), 334–340.
Harding, S., Burr, S., Cleland, J., Stringer, H., & Wren, Y. (2024). Outcome measures for children with speech sound disorder: An umbrella review. BMJ Open, 14(4), e081446. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081446
Hitchcock, E., Harel, D., & Byun, T. (2015). Social, Emotional, and Academic Impact of Residual Speech Errors in School-Aged Children: A Survey Study. Seminars in Speech and Language, 36(04), 283–294. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0035-1562911
McKinnon, S. L., Hess, C. W., & Landry, R. G. (1986). Reactions of college students to speech disorders. Journal of Communication Disorders, 19, 75–82.
Overby, M., Carrell, T., & Bernthal, J. (2007). Teachers’ perceptions of students with speech sound disorders. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 38, 327–341.
Shriberg, L. D., Paul, R., & Flipsen, P. (Eds.). (2010). Speech sound disorders in children: In honor of Lawrence D. Shriberg. Plural Pub.
Silverman, E. M. (1976). Listeners’ impressions of speakers with lateral lisps. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 41, 547–552.
Silverman, F. H., & Paulus, P. G. (1989). Peer reactions to teenagers who substitute /w/ for /r/. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 20, 219–221.
Todorova, E. (2013). Spetsifichni artikulatsionni narushenia prez detstvoto [Specific articulation disorders in childhood]. New Bulgarian University.
Todorova, E. (2019). Specific Articulation Disorders in Children Native Speakers of Bulgarian – Distribution, Characteristics, Demographic Patterns. European Journal of Social Science Education and Research, 6(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.26417/ejser.v6i1.p51-56
Tsenova, T. (2019). Govorna terapia [Speech therapy]. Kliment Ohridski University Press.
Williams, D. F., & Dietrich, S. (1996). Effects of speech and language disorders on raters’ perceptions. Journal of Communications Disorders, 29, 1–12.
World Health Organization. (2022). ICD-11: International classification of diseases (11th revision). https://icd.who.int/
Wren, Y., Pagnamenta, E., Orchard, F., Peters, T. J., Emond, A., Northstone, K., Miller, L. L., & Roulstone, S. (2023). Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties associated with persistent speech disorder in children: A prospective population study. JCPP Advances, 3(1), e12126. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12126
Wren, Y., Peters, T. J., Emond, A., Northstone, K., Miller, L. L., & Roulstone, S. (2021). Educational outcomes associated with persistent speech disorder. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 56(2), 299–312. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12599
