International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Original Research Article Word Fluency in Typically Developing Malayalam Speaking Children Nisha Melempatt Lohithakshan1, Nuggehalli Puttaveeraiah Nataraja2 1Ph.D. Research Fellow, 2Director & Professor, Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, J.S.S. Institute of Speech and Hearing, J.S.S. Research Foundation, Musuru, Karnataka, India Corresponding Author: Nisha Melempatt Lohithakshan ABSTRACT Word fluency or verbal fluency is the ability to form and express words that are attuned with the required criteria. The test of word fluency assesses verbal functioning using two tasks i.e., category fluency or semantic fluency task (SF) and letter fluency or phonemic fluency task (PF). The performance of these tasks is related to vocabulary size and speed of lexical access which are directly related to the learning process. The present study aimed at assessing the word fluency in 5-14 year old typically developing Malayalam speaking children and the objectives were (1). To assess the word fluency in terms of semantic fluency and phonemic fluency in typically developing Malayalam speaking children across age and gender. (2).To compare the performance of typically developing Malayalam speaking children in both semantic fluency and phonemic fluency tasks across the age and the gender. The study included 600 typically developing children in the age range of 5-14 years. A cross-sectional research design was used to assess the semantic fluency and phonemic fluency. The results of the study revealed that there were distinct patterns of continuous and linear developmental trend in word fluency. The outcome of the study has also revealed a positive influence of age and gender on the word fluency. Keywords: Word Fluency, Semantic Fluency, Phonemic Fluency. INTRODUCTION been used to understand the vocabulary size, Language is one of the most lexical knowledge, speed of lexical access mysterious products of the human mind. It in both healthy and disordered adults and is a means of communication and children. [5-11] socialization as well as a vehicle for The test of word fluency has been thought. The ability to speak is unique to used to assess verbal functioning, [12] using humans which makes them distinct from two tasks i.e., category fluency task or other animals. Spoken word production is semantic fluency task [13] and letter fluency influenced by the ability to generate words task or phonemic fluency task. [14] Semantic with speed and accuracy. Word fluency or fluency test requires the generation of words verbal fluency is the ability to form and corresponding to a specific semantic express words that are attuned with the category such as animals, fruits, vegetables, required criteria. Verbal fluency or word etc. in the specified time. Generally, the fluency assesses the verbal ability including number of words produced in one minute is lexical knowledge and lexical retrieval counted. The literature review has shown ability. [1-4] Verbal fluency is necessary for that various categories have been used for optimal communication and for normal semantic fluency assessment such as social and occupational functioning. The animals, fruits, vegetables, types of information obtained from word fluency has transportation, kitchen items, foods, drinks, International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 23 Vol.9; Issue: 11; November 2019 Nisha Melempatt Lohithakshan et.al. Word Fluency in Typically Developing Children parts of the body, clothing, colours, birds, studies on word fluency in children flowers, trees, and others. [6,8,9,15-17] speaking Indian languages, particularly However, the category of animals has been Malayalamare limited. [5,6,19] The present the most frequently used item. [18-20] study was an attempt to investigate the word Ardila,O strosky-Solı´s and Bernal [18] had fluency in typically developing children reported that there have been advantages in speaking Malayalam, in the age range of 5- using animal category i.e., (1). „Animal 14 years. category‟ has been reported to be a clear Aim of the study semantic category across the languages and The present study aimed at assessing cultures; (2).It is a relatively easy semantic the word fluency in 5-14-year-old typically category with only minor differences among developing Malayalam speaking children people living in different countries and and the objectives were to 1. Assess the generations; and (3). It is easy-to-administer word fluency in terms of semantic fluency and commonly used in different and phonemic fluency in typically neuropsychological test batteries such as developing Malayalam speaking children of Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, both the genders across the age groups and [21] CERAD neuropsychological test battery. 2. Compare the performance of semantic [22] The results of various studies have fluency and phonemic fluency in typically revealed that a normal person has been developing Malayalam speaking children reported to produce about 16 words in a across the gender and the age groups. given category within one minute. [16] Phonemic fluency or letter fluency METHOD task assesses the ability to produce as many The present study was designed to words as possible beginning with a specific assess the word fluency in typically letter within a fixed timeframe. The time developing Malayalam speaking children in used commonly is one minute and the the age range of 5-14 years number of correct words produced without Participants errors such as repetitions or words not The study included 600 typically starting with the specified letter are counted. developing children in the age range of 5-14 Researchers have used different letters for years. The typically developing children the phonemic fluency task. The frequently were selected randomly from Malayalam used letters for phonemic fluency tasks are medium schools at Shoranur, a semi-urban "F", "A" and "S", [13] "C", "F" & "L" and area in Palakkad district, Kerala, India. All "P", "R" and "W", [23] all the English the children had Malayalam as their mother alphabets except “X” and “Z”, [24] “P” and tongue and medium of communication at “K”. [5] It has been reported that a normal home and school. All the participants had individual can generate about 12-14 words normal hearing sensitivity and normal visual starting with a specific letter whereas acuity with normal motor, speech-language children aged 6 years old generate fewer and cognitive skills. Only, children with than 5 words. [16,11] Average/good academic performance as The literature search revealed that reported by teachers and school records word fluency or verbal fluency has been were included in the study. 10 groups of widely used to investigate the neuro-typical participants in the age range5-14 years with adults and geriatric, focusing on aging and 30 males and 30 females in each group were neurological diseases, such as Dementia. [25- included in the study. Thus a cross-sectional 27] However, there is a dearth of data on study was carried out to assess the semantic word fluency among typically developing fluency and phonemic fluency in the present children. It is widely accepted that study. vocabulary differs across the culture, Procedure language, ethnicity, age, and gender. The International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 24 Vol.9; Issue: 11; November 2019 Nisha Melempatt Lohithakshan et.al. Word Fluency in Typically Developing Children The word fluency was assessed instructions, then the investigator using the phonemic fluency and semantic demonstrated the procedure by using fluency tasks. The testing was carried out in another item like furniture. The participant a quiet room in the school. For assessing the who could not follow the instructions even phonemic fluency, the participants were after that was dropped from the study. The instructed, in Malayalam, to produce as responses were recorded using Sony digital many words as possible starting with the voice recorder ICD-UX560F for offline sound “k” as soon as the investigator said analysis and the researcher also noted down start and to stop as soon as the investigator the correct responses. The task was to elicit said stop. One minute time was given for maximum number of names in the given the task and the investigator monitored the class in one minute and the number of time using a stop watch. The participant was correct names produced in one minute was also instructed to avoid repetition of the counted. same words and the names of people and Thus, using these procedures, both places. Whenever it was felt that the the phonemic fluency and semantic fluency participant had not understood the were assessed in each of the participant of instructions, then the investigator all the age groups and both the genders i.e., demonstrated the procedure by using the all the 600 participants performed the tasks sound „p‟. The participant who could not and scores of each participants in terms of follow the instructions even after that was phonemic fluency and semantic fluency dropped from the study. The responses were were analyzed. recorded using Sony digital voice recorder Statistical analysis ICD-UX560F for offline analysis and the The data obtained were subjected to researcher also noted down the correct descriptive statistical analysis to obtain the responses. mean scores and the standard deviation Similarly, to assess the semantic values and Multivariate analysis of variance fluency, the procedure that was adopted for (MANOVA) was carried out, using assessing the phonemic fluency was used Statistical Package for Social Sciences except that the participants were asked to (SPSS) to find out the effect of age and name as many animals as possible in one gender on semantic fluency and phonemic minute. The participant was instructed, in fluency tasks. The Post hoc analysis was Malayalam, to name as many animals as done using Tukey test. possible as soon as the investigator said start and to stop as soon as the investigator said RESULTS stop.