Early vocabulary development in Mandarin (Putonghua) and Cantonese

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1115-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
TWILA TARDIF ◽  
PAUL FLETCHER ◽  
WEILAN LIANG ◽  
NIKO KACIROTI
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Caregiver Education ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Parental Reports ◽  
The Difference

ABSTRACTParent report instruments adapted from the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI) examined vocabulary development in children aged 0 ; 8 to 2 ; 6 for two Chinese languages, Mandarin (n=1694) and Cantonese (n=1625). Parental reports suggested higher overall scores for Mandarin- than for Cantonese-speaking children from approximately 1 ; 4 onward. Factors relevant to the difference were only-child status, monolingual households and caregiver education. In addition to the comparison of vocabulary scores overall, the development of noun classifiers, grammatical function words common to the two languages, was assessed both in terms of the age and the vocabulary size at which these terms are acquired. Whereas age-based developmental trajectories again showed an advantage for Beijing children, Hong Kong children used classifiers when they had smaller vocabularies, reflecting the higher frequencies and greater precision of classifier use in adult Cantonese. The data speak to the importance of using not just age, but also vocabulary size, as a metric by which the acquisition of particular linguistic elements can be examined across languages.

scholarly journals A comparison of the transition from first words to grammar in English and Italian

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
CRISTINA CASELLI ◽  
PAOLA CASADIO ◽  
ELIZABETH BATES
Keyword(s):  
Parent Report ◽  
Social Constraints ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Grammatical Development ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Grammatical Complexity ◽  
Macarthur Communicative Development Inventory ◽  
Age Range

Cross-linguistic similarities and differences in early lexical and grammatical development are reported for 1001 English-speaking children and 386 Italian-speaking children between 1;6 and 2;6. Parents completed the English or Italian versions of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Sentences, a parent report instrument that provides information about vocabulary size, vocabulary composition and grammatical complexity across this age range. The onset and subsequent growth of nouns, predicates, function words and social terms proved to be quite similar in both languages. No support was found for the prediction that verbs would emerge earlier in Italian, although Italians did produce a higher proportion of social terms, and there were small but intriguing differences in the shape of the growth curve for grammatical function words. A strikingly similar nonlinear relationship between grammatical complexity and vocabulary size was observed in both languages, and examination of the order in which function words are acquired also yielded more similarities than differences. However, a comparison of the longest sentences reported for a subset of children demonstrates large cross-linguistic differences in the amount of morphology that has been acquired in children matched for vocabulary size. Discussion revolves around the interplay between language-specific variations in the input to young children, and universal cognitive and social constraints on language development.

Parental reports of communicative development at the age of 36 months: The Estonian CDI-III

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-83
Author(s):  
Tiia Tulviste ◽  
Astra Schults
Keyword(s):  
Day Care ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Language Difficulties ◽  
Parental Reports ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
The Impact

Parental reports are a widely-used source of information about infants’ and toddlers’ communicative skills, but parent-report instruments valid for children older than 30 months are less known. This study explored individual variability in children’s communicative skills at the age of 3;0 via parental reports using the Estonian (E) CDI-III. The validity of ECDI-III was established through correlations with another parent-report instrument (ECDI-II) and a standardized examiner-administered language assessment (New Reynell Developmental Language Scales; NRDLS). A hundred Estonian-speaking children ( M age = 35.77 months, age range from 34 to 39 months; 20 of them with reported language difficulties) participated in the study. Relations between different communicative skills and the impact of such factors as the child’s gender, maternal and paternal education, reported language difficulties, the number of siblings, and day care attendance on variability in vocabulary size were also considered. The results showed that the ECDI-III components were moderately to strongly associated with each other, with the ECDI-II and NRDLS. Children with reported language difficulties scored lower on all language measures, except for orthographic awareness. Girls, children of more educated mothers, children with older siblings, and those who had attended day care for more months obtained higher vocabulary scores.

scholarly journals Size and composition of the lexicon in prematurely born very-low-birth-weight and full-term Finnish children at two years of age

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUVI STOLT ◽  
ANU KLIPPI ◽  
KAISA LAUNONEN ◽  
PETRIINA MUNCK ◽  
LIISA LEHTONEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Very Low Birth Weight ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Lexical Categories ◽  
Female Advantage

This paper focuses on the aspects of the lexicon in 66 prematurely born very-low-birth-weight and 87 full-term Finnish children at 2;0, studied using the Finnish version of the MacArthur Communicative Developmental Inventory. The groups did not differ in vocabulary size. Furthermore, the female advantage in vocabulary size was not seen in preterm children. The overall shapes of the trajectories for the main lexical categories as a function of vocabulary size were highly similar in both groups and followed those described in the literature. However, there were significant differences in the percentage of nouns and grammatical function words between the two groups. The results suggest that prematurity ‘cuts off’ the female advantage in vocabulary development. Furthermore, it also seems that there are differences between prematurely born and full-term children in the composition of the lexicon at 2;0. The findings support the universal sequence in the development of lexical categories.

scholarly journals Infant-directed speech from seven to nineteen months has similar acoustic properties but different functions

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 1035-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina KALASHNIKOVA ◽  
Denis BURNHAM
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Speech Quality ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Three Components

AbstractThis longitudinal study assessed three acoustic components of maternal infant-directed speech (IDS) – pitch, affect, and vowel hyperarticulation – in relation to infants’ age and their expressive vocabulary size. These three individual components were measured in IDS addressed to infants at 7, 9, 11, 15, and 19 months (N = 18). All three components were exaggerated at all ages in mothers’ IDS compared to their adult-directed speech. Importantly, the only significant predictor of infants’ expressive vocabulary size at 15 and 19 months was vowel hyperarticulation, but only at 9 months and beyond, not at 7 months, and not pitch or affect at any age. These results set apart vowel hyperarticulation in IDS to infants as the critical IDS component for vocabulary development. Thus IDS, specifically the degree of vowel hyperarticulation therein, is a vehicle by which parents can provide the most optimal speech quality for their infants’ linguistic and communicative development.

Phonology and lexicon in a cross-linguistic perspective: the importance of phonetics – a commentary on Stoel-Gammon's ‘Relationships between lexical and phonological development in young children’*

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
DORTHE BLESES ◽  
HANS BASBØLL ◽  
JARRAD LUM ◽  
WERNER VACH
Keyword(s):  
American English ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Phonological Development ◽  
Phonological Acquisition ◽  
Interesting Article ◽  
Vocabulary Skills ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
The Difference

In her interesting article, Stoel-Gammon (this issue) reviews studies concerning the interactions between lexical and phonological development. While the focus of the review is on vocabulary production from children acquiring American English, she also suggests that cross-linguistic research be undertaken to examine how universal and language-specific properties affect the interaction between lexical and phonological acquisition. In this regard, Stoel-Gammon referred to the study of Bleses et al. (2008) who found differences in receptive vocabulary development across languages, based on norming studies for the Communicative Development Inventories (Fenson, Marchman, Thal, Dale, Reznick & Bates, 2007). Bleses et al. showed that Danish children were slower in the early comprehension of words (and phrases). It was hypothesized that the phonetic structure of Danish may account for the difference in receptive vocabulary skills in this population (Bleses & Basbøll, 2004).

Vocabulary development in Italian children: a longitudinal evaluation of quantitative and qualitative aspects

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA D'ODORICO ◽  
STEFANIA CARUBBI ◽  
NICOLETTA SALERNI ◽  
VINCENZO CALVO
Keyword(s):  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Monthly Administration ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Percentile Scores ◽  
Italian Children ◽  
Vocabulary Spurt

In this study vocabulary development of a sample of 42 Italian children was evaluated through monthly administration of the Italian version of the CDI. Data collection started at 1;0–1;1 for 32 children and at 1;3–1;4 for the remaining subjects and continued until children's vocabulary reached 200 words. At fixed stages of vocabulary size (50, 100 and 200 words), individual differences in percentile scores and vocabulary composition were examined. Individual growth curves were analysed in order to verify the presence of a vocabulary spurt and the type of lexical items which contributed most to rapid acceleration in vocabulary growth.Stylistic differences in vocabulary composition were examined regarding the ‘referential–expressive’ distinction, controlling vocabulary size. Data have shown that general trends in vocabulary development are quite similar to those obtained for other languages using CDI adaptations. Moreover, all children in this sample eventually exhibited a vocabulary spurt, even if some can be defined as ‘late spurters’. The type of lexical items which are learned during the spurt depend on both infant vocabulary size and referential score. About 28% of infants in this sample were defined ‘referential’ when their vocabulary size was about 50 words, but the stylistic differences disappeared at the 100- and 200-word stages.Composition of vocabulary did not differ in relation to precocity in reaching different stages of vocabulary development. The only exception was that infants who reached the 50-word stage first also had a vocabulary with a lower proportion of function words.

scholarly journals A bilingual–monolingual comparison of young children's vocabulary size: Evidence from comprehension and production

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1189-1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNICK DE HOUWER ◽  
MARC H. BORNSTEIN ◽  
DIANE L. PUTNICK
Keyword(s):  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Interindividual Variation ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Word Comprehension ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Comprehensive Comparison ◽  
Empirical Foundation

ABSTRACTIt is often assumed that young bilinguals are lexically delayed in comparison to monolinguals. A comprehensive comparison of comprehension and production vocabulary in 31 firstborn bilingual and 30 matched monolingual children fails to find empirical foundation for this assumption. Several raters completed Dutch and French adaptations of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories for children aged 13 and 20 months. At 13 months, bilinguals understood more words than did monolinguals; at 20 months, monolinguals knew more Dutch words than did bilinguals (combining comprehension and production). There were no group differences for word production or for Dutch word comprehension. Both groups understood and produced the same number of lexicalized meanings; ratios of word comprehension to word production did not differ; interindividual variation was similar. This study underscores the importance of conducting bilingual–monolingual comparisons with matched groups and suggests that if individual bilingual children appear to be slow in early vocabulary development, reasons other than their bilingualism should be investigated.

scholarly journals Bilingual adjusted vocabulary: A developmentally-informed bilingual vocabulary measure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Maria Gonzalez-Barrero ◽  
Esther Schott ◽  
Krista Byers-Heinlein
Keyword(s):  
Parent Report ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Cross Language

Vocabulary size is one of the most important early metrics of language development. Assessing vocabulary in bilingual children is complex because bilinguals learn words in two languages, which include translation equivalents (cross-language synonyms). We collected expressive vocabulary data from English and French monolinguals (n = 220), and English–French bilinguals (n = 184) aged 18–33 months, via parent report using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, and quantified bilinguals’ vocabulary size using different approaches to counting translation equivalents. Our results showed that traditional approaches yield larger (word vocabulary) or smaller (concept vocabulary) quantification of bilinguals’ vocabulary knowledge relative to monolinguals. We propose a new metric, the bilingual adjusted vocabulary, that yields similar vocabulary sizes for monolinguals and bilinguals across different ages. Uniquely, this approach counts translation equivalents differently depending on the child’s age. This developmentally-informed bilingual vocabulary measure reveals differences in word learning abilities across ages, and provides a new approach to measure vocabulary in bilingual toddlers.

scholarly journals Vocabulary size, translation equivalents, and efficiency in word recognition in very young bilinguals

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 760-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
JACQUELINE LEGACY ◽  
PASCAL ZESIGER ◽  
MARGARET FRIEND ◽  
DIANE POULIN-DUBOIS
Keyword(s):  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Word Retrieval ◽  
Parental Report ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Word Comprehension ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Vocabulary Comprehension ◽  
L1 And L2

ABSTRACTThe present study examined early vocabulary development in fifty-nine French monolingual and fifty French–English bilingual infants (1;4–1;6). Vocabulary comprehension was assessed using both parental report (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory; CDI) and the Computerized Comprehension Task (CCT). When assessing receptive vocabulary development using parental report, the bilinguals knew more words in their L1 versus their L2. However, young bilinguals were as accurate in L1 as they were in L2 on the CCT, and exhibited no difference in speed of word comprehension across languages. The proportion of translation equivalents in comprehension varied widely within this sample of young bilinguals and was linked to both measures of vocabulary size but not to speed of word retrieval or exposure to L2. Interestingly, the monolinguals outperformed the bilinguals with respect to accuracy but not reaction time in their L1 and L2. These results highlight the importance of using multiple measures to assess early vocabulary development.

scholarly journals Early Vocabulary Development in Rural and Urban Mozambique

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Vogt ◽  
J. Douglas Mastin ◽  
Suzanne Aussems
Keyword(s):  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Norming Study ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Positive Correlations

This paper presents an adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (short version) into three languages spoken in Southern Mozambique. The tool was adapted to study vocabulary development among children of 12 to 25 months of age in two communities: a rural, monolingual Changana speaking community and an urban bilingual Ronga and Portuguese speaking community. We present a norming study carried out with the adaptation, as well as a validation study. The norming study revealed various predictors for reported expressive and receptive vocabulary size. These predictors include age, socioeconomic status, reported health problems, caregiving practices, and location. The validation of the CDI among a small sample in both communities shows positive correlations between the reported expressive vocabulary scores and children’s recorded word production. We conclude that the adapted CDI is useful for research purposes and could be used as a template for adaptations into other languages from similar cultures.

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