What is it about?

Language sample analysis (LSA) is a method speech-language pathologists (SLPs) use to get a broad picture of a person's language. They record someone speaking in a natural situation, write down what was said, and analyze it. In German-speaking Switzerland, people use Swiss German dialect in everyday life and Standard German in more formal contexts. We asked 550 SLPs how they use LSA: how often, with whom, in which language variety, and how they collect, transcribe, and analyze language samples.

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Why is it important?

Most research on LSA comes from English-speaking countries. This survey adds a new perspective by examining German-speaking Switzerland, where Swiss German dialect and Standard German coexist in everyday life. We found that 90.4% of SLPs used LSA in the past year — far more than in a recent US survey (60.2%). Almost all clinicians conducted LSA in Swiss German (94.8%) and most also in Standard German (88.1%), while other languages were rarely used (9.1%) despite the high number of bilingual clients. Automatic transcription tools were almost never used (1.0%). LSA was mainly applied with younger children and focused on grammatical features, whereas narrative and conversational skills were analyzed by less SLPs. Nearly two thirds (63.4%) relied on self-designed procedures instead of established protocols. These findings highlight the need for standardized, user-friendly tools and procedures that support LSA in dialectal and multilingual contexts.

Perspectives

Seeing 550 colleagues share their experiences was inspiring. The results show how highly LSA is valued in German-speaking Switzerland. At the same time, they highlight how much work is still needed to establish systematic LSA practices and to provide clinicians with suitable tools. I hope this research helps bridge the gap between theory and everyday clinical realities in multilingual and diglossic settings.

Ramona Rüegg
Universite de Fribourg

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Language Sample Analysis Practices in a Multilingual and Diglossic Context: A Survey of Speech-Language Pathologists in German-Speaking Switzerland, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, September 2026, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2026_ajslp-25-00592.
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