Language development between 30 and 48 months in monolingual Slovenian-speaking children : a study using the Slovenian adaptation of the Macarthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory CDI–III

Fekonja, Urška (author), Hacin Beyazoglu, Kaja (author), Marjanovič Umek, Ljubica (author)

The main aim of this study, which presents the Slovenian adaptation of the Macarthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory CDI–III, was to investigate the characteristics of language development in monolingual Slovenian-speaking children aged 30–48 months. In addition, we examined the relationships between different measures of child language assessed by the CDI–III, namely vocabulary, grammar and metalanguage. The sample comprised 301 children whose language was assessed by their parents using the Slovenian version of the CDI–III. The results indicate that language development at this age continues to progress relatively quickly, particularly in terms of children’s metalinguistic abilities, although there are large individual differences in language ability between children of the same age. The findings also indicate that some of the pre-existing relationships established between the different domains of infant and toddler language ability persist into early childhood, with vocabulary emerging as an important predictor of children’s grammar.

• Language: English
• Keywords: language development, parental reports, CDI–III, vocabulary, grammar, metalinguistic awarenes, gender differences
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 706-722
• Numbering: Vol. 53, iss. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-186035
• UDC: 159.922.72:159.946.3
• ISSN on article: 1469-7602
• DOI: 10.1017/S0305000925000121
• COBISS.SI-ID: 231419907
• Publication date in RUL: 26.08.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of child language
• Shortened title: J. child lang.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 1469-7602
• COBISS.SI-ID: 521060377

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian

Abstract

Glavni namen študije, ki predstavlja slovensko priredbo Macarthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory CDI–III, je bil preučiti značilnosti govornega razvoja enojezičnih slovensko govorečih otrok, starih med 30 in 48 mesecev. Poleg tega smo raziskali odnose med različnimi vidiki govorne zmožnosti otrok, ocenjenimi s CDI–III, in sicer besednjakom, slovnico in metajezikom. Vzorec je vključeval 301 otroka. Govor otrok so s slovensko različico CDI–III ocenili starši. Rezultati kažejo, da se govorna zmožnost v tem starostnem obdobju še naprej hitro razvija, predvsem na področju otrokovih metajezikovnih zmožnosti, hkrati pa med enako starimi otroki obstajajo velike individualne razlike v razvoju govora. Ugotovitve prav tako kažejo, da so nekatere predhodno ugotovljene povezanosti med različnimi vidiki govorne zmožnosti dojenčkov in malčkov značilne tudi za obdobje zgodnjega otroštva, pri čemer obseg besednjaka predstavlja pomemben napovednik slovnične strukture otrokovega govora.

• Keywords: jezikovni razvoj, Lista razvoja sporazumevalnih zmožnosti LRSZ, priredba testa, metajezikovno zavedanje, besednjak, slovnica, malčki

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0062
• Name: Uporabna razvojna psihologija