scholarly journals The impact of older siblings on the language environment and language development of bilingual toddlers

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Danai Tsinivits ◽  
Sharon Unsworth
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Family Constellation ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Bilingual Parenting ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Older Siblings ◽  
Older Sibling

Abstract Previous research has suggested that the language development of bilingual children benefits from more exposure and opportunities for language use. Typically, this research has used aggregated measures of exposure and use. The role of specific interlocutors and in particular older siblings has received comparatively little attention. In this study, we examine the impact of having an older sibling on the language environment and language development of a group of 31 bilingual Greek–Dutch toddlers aged 16 to 30 months growing up in the Netherlands. Approximately half (n = 14) of the toddlers had an older sibling. With respect to language environment, toddlers with older siblings were in general found to hear and use more Dutch at home than their first-born peers. There were however no differences between the two groups of toddlers in terms of parental language use. With respect to language development, toddlers with older siblings were found to score higher than first-born peers on measures of Dutch receptive vocabulary, productive vocabulary, and morphosyntactic complexity. For Greek, no such differences were observed. The findings are discussed in light of factors including family constellation, parental language proficiency, bilingual parenting strategies, and the wider sociolinguistic context.

scholarly journals Older sibling influences on the language environment and language development of toddlers in bilingual homes

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
KELLY BRIDGES ◽  
ERIKA HOFF
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
English Language Development ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
Household Members ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Older Siblings ◽  
Older Sibling

ABSTRACTTwo separate studies examined older siblings’ influence on the language exposure and language development of US-born toddlers who were being raised in bilingual homes. The participants in Study 1 were 60 children between 16 and 30 months who had heard English and another language at home from birth; 26 had older siblings, and 34 did not. The participants in Study 2 were 27 children, assessed at 22 and 30 months, who had heard English and Spanish from birth; 14 had school-aged older siblings, and 13 did not. Both studies found that older siblings used English more in talking to the toddlers than did other household members and that toddlers with older siblings were more advanced in English language development. Study 2 also found that the presence of a school-aged older sibling increased mothers’ use of English with their toddlers and that toddlers without a school-aged older sibling were more advanced in Spanish than the toddlers with a school-aged older sibling. These findings contribute to a picture of the complex processes that shape language use in bilingual homes and cause variability in young children's bilingual development.

scholarly journals Predicting bilingual preschoolers’ patterns of language development: Degree of non-native input matters

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (05) ◽  
pp. 1189-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Unsworth ◽  
Susanne Brouwer ◽  
Elise de Bree ◽  
Josje Verhagen
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Input Quantity ◽  
Input Quality ◽  
Family Constellation ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWhile numerous studies have recently shown that variation in input quantity predicts children’s rate of acquisition across a range of language skills, comparatively little is known about the impact of variation in input quality on (bilingual) children’s language development. This study investigated the relation between specific quality-oriented properties of bilingual children’s input and measures of children’s language development across a number of skills while at the same time taking family constellation into account. Participants were bilingual preschoolers (n = 50) acquiring Dutch alongside another language. Preschoolers’ receptive and productive vocabulary and morphosyntax in Dutch were assessed. Parental questionnaires were used to derive estimates of input quality. Family constellation was first operationalized as presence of a native-speaker parent and subsequently in terms of patterns of parental language use. Results showed that proportion of native input and having a native-speaker parent were never significant predictors of children’s language skills, whereas the degree of non-nativeness in the input, family constellation in terms of parental language use, and language richness were. This study shows that what matters is not how much exposure bilingual children have to native rather than non-native speakers, but how proficient any non-native speakers are.

scholarly journals The Role of Primary Caregiver Vocabulary Knowledge in the Development of Bilingual Children's Vocabulary Skills

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1804-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milijana Buac ◽  
Megan Gross ◽  
Margarita Kaushanskaya
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Primary Caregiver ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Skills ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The present study examined the impact of environmental factors (socioeconomic status [SES], the percent of language exposure to English and to Spanish, and primary caregivers' vocabulary knowledge) on bilingual children's vocabulary skills. Method Vocabulary skills were measured in 58 bilingual children between the ages of 5 and 7 who spoke Spanish as their native language and English as their second language. Data related to language environment in the home, specifically, the percent of language exposure to each language and SES, were obtained from primary caregiver interviews. Primary caregivers' vocabulary knowledge was measured directly using expressive and receptive vocabulary assessments in both languages. Results Multiple regression analyses indicated that primary caregivers' vocabulary knowledge, the child's percent exposure to each language, and SES were robust predictors of children's English, but not Spanish, vocabulary skills. Conclusion These findings indicate that in the early school ages, primary caregiver vocabulary skills have a stronger impact on bilingual children's second-language than native-language vocabulary.

scholarly journals The Effect of Older Sibling, Postnatal Maternal Stress, and Household Factors on Language Development in Two- to Four-Year-Old Children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Havron ◽  
Irena Lovcevic ◽  
Michelle Z.L Kee ◽  
Helen Chen ◽  
Yap Seng Chong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Maternal Stress ◽  
Household Size ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Age Gap ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Older Siblings ◽  
Older Sibling

Previous literature has shown that family structure affects language development. Here, factors relating to older siblings (their presence in the house, sex and age gap), mothers (maternal stress) and household size and residential crowding were examined to systematically examine the different role of these factors. Data from mother-child dyads in a Singaporean birth cohort, (677-855 dyads; 52% males; 58-61% Chinese, 20-24% Malay, 17-19% Indian) collected when children were 24-, 48-, and 54-months old, were analysed. There was a negative effect of having an older sibling, moderated by the siblings’ age gap, but not by the older sibling’s sex, nor household size or residential crowding. Maternal stress affected language outcomes in some analyses but not others. Implications for understanding the effect of family structure on language development are discussed.

scholarly journals The Bilingual Home Language Boost Through the Lens of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Sheng ◽  
Danyang Wang ◽  
Caila Walsh ◽  
Leah Heisler ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Mandarin Language ◽  
Language Environment

Usage-based accounts of language acquisition suggest that bilingual language proficiency is dynamic and susceptible to changes in language use. The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented modifications in the language learning environment of developing bilinguals. Drawing on this unique opportunity, we analyzed existing data of two matched groups of Mandarin-English bilingual children (ages 4 to 8 years, n = 38), one tested before (pre-COVID group) and the other during (COVID group) the pandemic. The dataset comprises responses to a language environment questionnaire, and scores on a sentence comprehension task and a sentence recall task in the bilinguals’ two languages. Questionnaire data revealed a richer Mandarin language environment for children in the COVID group compared to peers in the pre-COVID group. On both comprehension and production tasks, the two groups performed comparably in English but the COVID group showed better performance in Mandarin than the pre-COVID group. Within the pre-COVID group, English was stronger than Mandarin in both comprehension and production. Within the COVID group, the two languages were balanced in comprehension and Mandarin was stronger than English in production. Moreover, language use variables were correlated with production performance in both languages. These patterns illustrate the intimate relationships between language use and bilingual language proficiency through the lens of COVID-19 induced language environment modification.

scholarly journals The bilingual home language boost through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Sheng ◽  
Danyang Wang ◽  
Caila Walsh ◽  
Leah Heisler ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
Comprehension Task ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Language Environment

Usage-based accounts of language acquisition suggest that bilingual language proficiency is dynamic and susceptible to changes in language use. The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented modifications in the language learning environment of developing bilinguals. Drawing on this unique opportunity, we analyzed existing data of two matched groups of Mandarin-English bilingual children (ages 4 to 8 years, n=40), one tested before (pre-COVID group) and the other after (COVID group) the pandemic. The dataset comprises responses to a language environment questionnaire, and scores on a sentence comprehension task and a sentence recall task in the bilinguals’ two languages. Questionnaire data revealed that children in the COVID group read more in English but spoke less English with their mothers and friends compared to peers in the pre-COVID group. On the comprehension task, the two groups performed comparably in English but the COVID group showed better performance in Mandarin than the pre-COVID group. On the production task, the pre-COVID group showed better English performance than the COVID group, whereas the COVID group showed better Mandarin performance than the pre-COVID group. Within the pre-COVID group, English was stronger than Mandarin in both comprehension and production. Within the COVID group, the two languages were balanced in comprehension and Mandarin was stronger than English in production. Moreover, language use variables were correlated with production performance in both languages. These patterns illustrate the intimate relationships between language use and bilingual language proficiency through the lens of COVID-19 induced language environment modification.

The Interruption of Young Children's Responses by Older Siblings

1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance Wellen ◽  
Patricia Broen
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Younger Child ◽  
Normal Language ◽  
Older Siblings ◽  
Older Sibling

A group of language-delayed children, a group of older children with normal language development, and a group of younger children with normal language development served as subjects in this study. Questions were asked after a story was read to a younger child in the presence of an older sibling. The older sibling's interruptions of the question-answer dialogue was scored by frequency, type of interruption, and difficulty level of the questions being interrupted. Older siblings interrupted the question-answer interactions of the language-delayed children with a frequency that was similar to that observed in siblings of younger normal children but the interruptions of the language-delayed children were qualitatively different. Older siblings tended to directly answer questions addressed to language-delayed children rather than to provide prompts or rephrasings of the question as they did for young normal children. Siblings of both the flanguage-delayed and the young normal children interrupted more frequently as the questions increased in difficulty.

Context effects on young children’s language use: The influence of conversational setting and partner

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 461-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Hoff
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Contextual Variable ◽  
Toy Play ◽  
Play Interaction ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Older Siblings ◽  
Older Sibling

This article reports on two studies investigating the effect of contextual variables on young children’s language use in conversation. In Study 1, 20 children between age 1;5 and 2;2 were recorded in conversation with their mothers in three settings: mealtime, toy play, and book reading. In Study 2, 16 children between age 1;9 and 3;0 were recorded in dyadic toy play interaction with three different conversational partners: a 5-year-old older sibling, an 8-year-old older sibling, and their mother. Both studies found effects of the contextual variable on children’s vocabulary use and discourse cohesion.The children used a richer vocabulary and produced more topic-continuing contributions in book reading than in other contexts, and they used a richer vocabulary and produced more responses to questions in conversation with their mothers than in conversation with their older siblings. Despite mean effects of context, there was cross-context stability in the individual differences among children.

scholarly journals On the multidimensionality of bilingualism and the unique role of language use*

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Patrycja Kałamała ◽  
Magdalena Senderecka ◽  
Zofia Wodniecka
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Use ◽  
First Language ◽  
Measurement Methods ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
Language Mixing ◽  
Language Environment

Abstract The multidimensionality of the bilingual experience makes the investigation of bilingualism fascinating but also challenging. Although the literature distinguishes several aspects of bilingualism, the measurement methods and the relationships between these aspects have not been clearly established. In a group of 171 relatively young Polish–English bilinguals living in their first-language environment, this study investigates the relationships between the multiple measures of bilingualism. The study shows that language entropy – an increasingly popular measure of the diversity of language use – reflects a separate aspect of the bilingual experience from language-switching and language-mixing measures. The findings also indicate that language proficiency is not a uniform aspect of the bilingual experience but a complex construct that requires appropriately comprehensive measurements. Collectively, the findings contribute to the discussion on the best practices for quantifying bilingualism.

scholarly journals Maternal Depressive Symptomatology, Social Support, and Language Development of Bilingual Preschoolers From Low-Income Households

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Cycyk ◽  
Dana Bitetti ◽  
Carol Scheffner Hammer
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Maternal Depression ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Language Growth ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low Income Households

Purpose This study examined the impact of maternal depressive symptomatology and social support on the English and Spanish language growth of young bilingual children from low-income backgrounds. It was hypothesized that maternal depression would slow children's development in both languages but that social support would buffer the negative effect. Method Longitudinal data were collected from 83 mothers of Puerto Rican descent and their children who were attending Head Start preschool for 2 years. The effects of maternal depressive symptomatology and social support from family and friends on receptive vocabulary and oral comprehension development in both languages were examined. Results Growth curve modeling revealed that maternal depressive symptomatology negatively affected Spanish receptive vocabulary development only. Maternal depression did not affect children's English receptive vocabulary or their oral comprehension in either language. Social support was not related to maternal depressive symptomatology or child language. Conclusions These findings suggest that maternal depression is 1 risk factor that contributes to less robust primary language development of bilingual children from low-income households. Speech-language pathologists must (a) increase their awareness of maternal depression in order to provide families with appropriate mental health referrals and (b) consider their roles as supportive adults for children whose mothers may be depressed.

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