Background: Many studies have been conducted to explore the phonetic complexity of different languages. Several tools have been developed for this purpose, such as the Index of Phonetic Complexity. IPC was originally developed for the English-speaking population and has been adapted to other languages such as Arabic, Berber, and French. IPC includes eight factors focusing on singleton consonants, vowels, word shape, syllable structure, and consonant clusters. 

Aims: This study aimed to adapt the IPC for Urdu (IPC-Ur).  

Method: The features of the Urdu phonological system were considered during the adaptation. IPC assigns complexity scores to features and sounds that are acquired later. Urdu speech sound developmental patterns were considered to find complex features in Urdu. 

Results: This study presents the considerations made while adapting IPC for Urdu. IPC assigns a score to triphthongs. As Urdu does not have triphthongs, this factor was eliminated during the adaptation. Factors four and five remained the same. All remaining factors were modified based on language-specific features and acquisition patterns. A new factor focusing on ‘consonants by aspiration’ was added.
Like the original IPC, IPC-Ur provides scores for each factor, as well as a sum score, indicating the overall complexity score of the whole word.

Conclusions: Despite being the 10th most spoken language worldwide, Urdu is understudied. IPC-Ur adds to the available tools adapted specifically for Urdu and would benefit clinical and research use. It can facilitate both the independent and relational analyses of the speech data. 

Implications for children and families: You will be able to see how complex the speech produced by your child is and see how it has changed after intervention.

Implications for practitioners: You can calculate the complexity of Urdu words. IPC-Ur can also help track the phonetic/phonological changes in complexity during an intervention or across different age groups.

Funding: This work was supported by the General Research Fund from the University Research Council granted to the second author (Project No. 17614717).

Key words: children voices, Indigenous voices, communication, community services, health, international communities, well-being, understudied languages

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals