When does 'dur' develop to 'the'? Dd is 5.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Anyone know?

Good question. I'd like to know too. Anyone???

Oh well. Just you and me then.....

are you showing him to do 'the' with his tongue sticking out of his mouth? DS was told at school that it was a 'cheeky' word as you stick your tongue out while saying it

bump

I don't know, but I'll miss it when it does.

I agree, just model it back to him accentuating the fact that your tongue is out.

ie. if he says...

Can I have der book.

Say to him...

Yes, you can have the book.

Try this. I wanted to know when DD would stop saying "seben" instead of "seven" as I will miss "seben".

Oddly I have just noticed that DD does this tonight when she was reading out loud. It's not obvious (to me, anyway) but is definitely a soft 'd' sound for 'th' in words like the and them and this. Not so much in words like 'thing' though. She's 7.

I corrected mispronounced words by my DDs at any age. I think children learn from practicing the word correctly and don't just think they will grow out of it. I really struggled to understand some of the girls on Educating Yorkshire recently. Not their accent, it was the mispronunciation of words which did not seem to be corrected by anyone.

you can force the issue by making her practice, or you can just wait for her to develop at her own pace. I would go for the latter if she is only 5 and her speech and language are generally age-appropriate; can she pronounce "th" if asked to, is the "dur" a habit rather than a physical inability? If you are generally concerned about speech and language his school can refer her for assessment.

DS2 is 9 and still sometimes reverts to "dee" instead of "the", as in "is that cake for us or just for dee grown-ups?". I do find it rather sweet but he is physically able to pronounce "the" and can read well.

I'm interested too. DD1 (5) substitutes lots of different sounds for 'th' depending on context. I think she can make the sound but is fairly resistant to being corrected so I don't push it.

DD is 5 and now she's learning to read its easier to explain 'th'. She's almost there and forgets now and again but usually its fings like jonafan that need reminding.