{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T17:55:44Z","timestamp":1792173344988,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792108800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792108800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Intl J Lang &amp; Comm Disor"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,11]]},"abstract":"ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Grammatical development in children follows a relatively predictable sequence across languages; however, most evidence comes from Indo\u2010European languages, particularly English. Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish, an agglutinative Turkic language, remains understudied in terms of the order in which grammatical structures are acquired. Understanding typical acquisition sequences is essential for identifying children with developmental language disorder (DLD) in linguistically diverse populations.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Aims<\/jats:title>\n This study aimed to describe the receptive comprehension sequence of 28 grammatical structures in Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish\u2010speaking children aged 4\u20136 years and to identify which structures are most and least accurately comprehended across age groups.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n A cross\u2010sectional design was employed. A total of 237 children were assessed for eligibility, and after exclusions (\n n<\/jats:italic>\n = 37), the final sample comprised 200 children (100 girls, 100 boys) aged 49\u201372 months, divided into four age groups (\n n<\/jats:italic>\n = 50 each). The Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish Grammar Comprehension Test (ATGCT) was used to assess receptive comprehension of 28 grammatical structures on a 0\u20132 scale. Developmental and cognitive screening measures included the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). One\u2010way ANOVAs were used to compare age groups.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n A clear developmental hierarchy emerged. Two\u2010element phrases (\n M<\/jats:italic>\n = 1.88, SD = 0.14) and indefinite pronouns (\n M<\/jats:italic>\n = 1.86, SD = 0.16) were the easiest structures, while coordination \u2018either\u2010or\u2019 (\n M<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.97, SD = 0.52), sentences with objective and subjective pronouns (\n M<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.99, SD = 0.52), and coordination \u2018neither\u2010nor\u2019 (\n M<\/jats:italic>\n = 1.10, SD = 0.51) were the most difficult. Significant age\u2010related improvements were observed for all structures (all\n p<\/jats:italic>\n < 0.05), with older children consistently outperforming younger ones. The largest age effects were found for two\u2010element phrases (\n F<\/jats:italic>\n = 4.21,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.006,\n \u03b7<\/jats:italic>\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.061) and indefinite pronouns (\n F<\/jats:italic>\n = 3.87,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.010,\n \u03b7<\/jats:italic>\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.056).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n This study provides the first systematic description of the receptive comprehension sequence of grammatical structures in Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish\u2010speaking children. The findings offer a normative framework for speech\u2010language pathologists working with this population and identify specific structures that may serve as potential clinical markers for DLD. These results can guide the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment tools and intervention goals.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS<\/jats:title>\n \n What is already known on this subject<\/jats:italic>\n \n \n Grammatical development in children follows a relatively predictable sequence across languages, but most evidence comes from Indo\u2010European languages, particularly English.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish, an agglutinative Turkic language, has received limited attention in developmental language research, especially regarding the order in which grammatical structures are acquired.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n Understanding typical acquisition sequences is essential for identifying children with developmental language disorder (DLD) in linguistically diverse populations.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n <\/jats:list>\n What this paper adds to existing knowledge<\/jats:italic>\n \n \n This study provides the first systematic description of the receptive comprehension sequence of 28 grammatical structures in Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish\u2010speaking children aged 4\u20136 years.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n The findings reveal a clear developmental hierarchy: simple phrases and indefinite pronouns are acquired earliest, while complex coordination structures (e.g., \u2018either\u2010or\u2019, \u2018neither\u2010nor\u2019) and sentences with multiple pronouns are acquired last.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n The study identifies specific grammatical structures that are consistently difficult for children across all age groups, which may serve as potential clinical markers for DLD in Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish\u2010speaking children.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n <\/jats:list>\n What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?<\/jats:italic>\n \n \n The results offer a normative framework for speech\u2010language pathologists working with Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish\u2010speaking children, enabling more accurate assessment of grammatical comprehension.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n The identified sequence can guide the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment tools and intervention goals.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n Structures with the lowest accuracy (e.g., \u2018either\u2010or\u2019 coordination, objective and subjective pronoun sentences) should be prioritised in language intervention programmes for this population.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n <\/jats:list>\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/1460-6984.70352","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T17:31:32Z","timestamp":1792171892000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Acquisition Sequence of Grammatical Structures in Azerbaijani\u2010Turkish\u2010speaking Children Aged 4\u20136 Years: A Cross\u2010Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5969-0144","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jafar","family":"Masumi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Speech Therapy Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8327-9497","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fatemeh Fekar","family":"Gharamaleki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Speech Therapy Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zeinab","family":"Fathipour\u2010Azar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational Therapy Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7096-9277","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ali","family":"Jahan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Speech Therapy Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]]},"reference":[{"issue":"25","key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","first-page":"329","article-title":"Decoding Language: Innovative Approaches to Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary","volume":"2","author":"Abdushukurova U.","year":"2024","journal-title":"Theory and Analytical Aspects of Recent Research"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Azimi M. 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