scholarly journals Effects of language mixing on bilingual children's word learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Krista Byers-Heinlein ◽  
Amel Jardak ◽  
Eva Fourakis ◽  
Casey Lew-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
New Words ◽  
Children’S Learning ◽  
Language Mixing ◽  
Mixed Language ◽  
Novel Targets ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Novel Words ◽  
Children's Learning

Abstract Language mixing is common in bilingual children's learning environments. Here, we investigated effects of language mixing on children's learning of new words. We tested two groups of 3-year-old bilinguals: French–English (Experiment 1) and Spanish–English (Experiment 2). Children were taught two novel words, one in single-language sentences (“Look! Do you see the dog on the teelo?”) and one in mixed-language sentences with a mid-sentence language switch (“Look! Do you see the chien/perro on the walem?”). During the learning phase, children correctly identified novel targets when hearing both single-language and mixed-language sentences. However, at test, French–English bilinguals did not successfully recognize the word encountered in mixed-language sentences. Spanish–English bilinguals failed to recognize either word, which underscores the importance of examining multiple bilingual populations. This research suggests that language mixing may sometimes hinder children's encoding of novel words that occur downstream, but leaves open several possible underlying mechanisms.

scholarly journals Effects of language mixing on bilingual children’s word learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Byers-Heinlein ◽  
Amel Jardak ◽  
Eva Fourakis ◽  
Casey Lew-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
New Words ◽  
Children’S Learning ◽  
Language Mixing ◽  
Mixed Language ◽  
Novel Targets ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Novel Words ◽  
Children's Learning

Language mixing is common in bilingual children’s learning environments. Here, we investigated effects of language mixing on children’s learning of new words. We tested two groups of 3-year-old bilinguals: French–English (Experiment 1) and Spanish–English (Experiment 2). Children were taught two novel words, one in single-language sentences (“Look! Do you see the dog on the teelo?”) and one in mixed-language sentences with a mid-sentence language switch (“Look! Do you see the chien/perro on the walem?). During the learning phase, children correctly identified novel targets when hearing both single-language and mixed-language sentences. However, at test, French–English bilinguals did not successfully recognize the word encountered in mixed-language sentences. Spanish–English bilinguals failed to recognize either word, which illustrates the importance of examining multiple bilingual populations. These findings suggest that language mixing can sometimes hinder children’s encoding of novel words that occur downstream, but leave open several possible underlying mechanisms.

scholarly journals That’s thee, uuh blicket! How does disfluency affect children’s word learning?

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-20
Author(s):  
Katherine S. White ◽  
Elizabeth S. Nilsen ◽  
Taylor Deglint ◽  
Janel Silva
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Separate Group ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
New Words ◽  
Children’S Learning ◽  
Familiar Objects ◽  
Children's Learning ◽  
Fluent Speakers

Disfluencies, such as ‘um’ or ‘uh’, can cause adults to attribute uncertainty to speakers, but may also facilitate speech processing. To understand how these different functions affect children’s learning, we asked whether (dis)fluency affects children’s decision to select information from speakers (an explicit behavior) and their learning of specific words (an implicit behavior). In Experiment 1a, 31 3- to 4-year-olds heard two puppets provide fluent or disfluent descriptions of familiar objects. Each puppet then labeled a different novel object with the same novel word (again, fluently or disfluently). Children more frequently endorsed the object referred to by the fluent speaker. We replicated this finding with a separate group of 4-year-olds in Experiment 1b ( N = 31) and a modified design. In Experiment 2, 62 3- to 4-year-olds were trained on new words, produced following a disfluency or not, and were subsequently tested on their recognition of the words. Children were equally accurate for the two types of words. These results suggest that while children may prefer information from fluent speakers, they learn words equally well regardless of fluency, at least in some contexts.

Pragmatic directions and children's word learning

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
EVE V. CLARK ◽  
JAMES B. GROSSMAN
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
The Other ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
New Words ◽  
Children’S Learning ◽  
Children's Learning

The present study tested the hypothesis that children as young as two use what adults tell them about meaning relations when they make inferences about new words. 18 two-year-olds (mean age 2;2) and 18 three-year-olds (mean age 3;2) learned two new terms (a) with instructions either (i) to treat one term as a superordinate to the other, or (ii) to replace one term with another; and (b) with no instruction given about how two new words might be related. Children were attentive to both kinds of instructions or pragmatic directions, and made use of them in their word-learning. When they received no instruction relating the two new words, they resorted to a range of coping strategies to assign and relate meanings to each other. These findings support the view that children's learning of new word meanings is guided by the pragmatic directions adults offer.

The Type, but Not the Amount, of Information Available Influences Toddlers' Fast Mapping and Retention of New Words

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn W. Brady ◽  
Judith C. Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
New Words ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Significant Rate ◽  
Mapping Task ◽  
Novel Words

Purpose The authors of this study examined whether the type and number of word-learning cues affect how children infer and retain word-meaning mappings and whether the use of these cues changes with age. Method Forty-eight 18- to 36-month-old children with typical language participated in a fast-mapping task in which 6 novel words were presented with 3 types of cues to the words' referents, either singly or in pairs. One day later, children were tested for retention of the novel words. Results By 24 months of age, children correctly inferred the referents of the novel words at a significant level. Children retained the meanings of words at a significant rate by 30 months of age. Children retained the first 3 of the 6 word-meaning mappings by 24 months of age. For both fast mapping and retention, the efficacy of different cue types changed with development, but children were equally successful whether the novel words were presented with 1 or 2 cues. Conclusion The type of information available to children at fast mapping affects their ability to both form and retain word-meaning associations. Providing children with more information in the form of paired cues had no effect on either fast mapping or retention.

scholarly journals Neural synchrony predicts children’s learning of novel words

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elise A. Piazza ◽  
Ariella Cohen ◽  
Juliana Trach ◽  
Casey Lew-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Neural Synchrony ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Temporal Correlations ◽  
Children’S Learning ◽  
Novel Words ◽  
Children's Learning

AbstractSocial interactions have a well-studied influence on early development and language learning. Recent work has begun to investigate the neural mechanisms that underlie shared representations of input, documenting neural synchrony or coupling (measured using intersubject temporal correlations of neural activity) between individuals exposed to the same stimulus. Neural synchrony has been found to predict the quality of engagement with a stimulus and with communicative cues, but studies have yet to address how neural synchrony among children may relate to real-time learning. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we recorded the neural activity of 45 children (3.5-4.5 years) during joint book reading with an adult experimenter. The custom children’s book contained four novel words and objects embedded in an unfolding story, as well as a range of narrative details about object functions and character roles. We observed synchronized neural activity between child participants during book reading and found a positive correlation between learning and intersubject neural synchronization in parietal cortex, an area implicated in narrative-level processing in adult research. Our findings suggest that children’s learning is facilitated by active neural engagement with the dynamics of natural social input.

Play as Thought: Thinking Strategies of Young Writers

1989 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colette Daiute
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Classroom Learning ◽  
Children's Play ◽  
Children’S Learning ◽  
Written Texts ◽  
Thinking Strategies ◽  
Children’S Play ◽  
Children's Learning

In this article, the author raises both provocative and necessary questions about the nature of children's play in relation to their classroom learning and writing. Colette Daiute draws from children's transcribed dialogues and written texts to argue that play is critical to a more complex and representative understanding of how children can and do learn. Further, she believes that children's learning ought to be evaluated on its own terms, and not in comparison to adult models of writing proficiency. Her argument is based upon a fundamental belief that children approach learning with a variety of strategies and skills, and this article offers convincing evidence to support a view of children — and of learning — that is respectful and inclusive. Daiute concludes by presenting suggestions for ways to consider child-generated and playful strategies in learning environments.

The implications of polysemy for theories of word learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahesh Srinivasan ◽  
Hugh Rabagliati
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Fundamental Feature ◽  
Children’S Learning ◽  
Multiple Meanings ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Polysemous Words ◽  
Review Current ◽  
Children's Learning

Word learning is typically studied as a problem in which children need to learn a single meaning for a new word. According to most theories, children’s learning is itself guided by the assumption that a new word has only one meaning. However, most words in languages are polysemous, having many related and distinct meanings. In this article, we consider the implications of this disjuncture. As we review, current theories predict that children should struggle to learn polysemous words. Yet recent research shows that young children readily learn multiple meanings for words and represent them in ways that are qualitatively similar to adults. Moreover, polysemy may facilitate word learning by allowing children to use their knowledge of familiar meanings of a word to learn its other meanings. These findings motivate a new perspective on word learning that recognizes polysemy as a fundamental feature of language instead of treating it as an outlying case.

scholarly journals Phonological similarity influences word learning in adults learning Spanish as a foreign language

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 490-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
MELISSA K. STAMER ◽  
MICHAEL S. VITEVITCH
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
New Words ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Novel Words

Neighborhood density – the number of words that sound similar to a given word (Luce & Pisoni, 1998) – influences word learning in native English-speaking children and adults (Storkel, 2004; Storkel, Armbruster & Hogan, 2006): novel words with many similar sounding English words (i.e., dense neighborhood) are learned more quickly than novel words with few similar sounding English words (i.e., sparse neighborhood). The present study examined how neighborhood density influences word learning in native English-speaking adults learning Spanish as a foreign language. Students in their third semester of Spanish-language classes learned advanced Spanish words that sounded similar to many known Spanish words (i.e., dense neighborhood) or sounded similar to few known Spanish words (i.e., sparse neighborhood). In three word-learning tasks, performance was better for Spanish words with dense rather than sparse neighborhoods. These results suggest that a similar mechanism may be used to learn new words in a native and a foreign language.

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