Within- and Cross-Language Relations Between Phonological Memory, Vocabulary, and Grammar in Bilingual Children

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Margaret Kehoe ◽  
Diane Poulin-Dubois ◽  
Margaret Friend
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Phonological Memory ◽  
Grammatical Skills ◽  
Information Number ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
Age Range

Purpose This study investigated within-language and between-language associations between phonological memory, vocabulary, and grammar in French–English ( n = 43) and Spanish–English ( n = 25) bilingual children at 30, 36, and 48 months. It was predicted that phonological memory would display both within-language and between-language relations to language development and that these relations would be stronger at the youngest age. Method Bilingual children participated in free-play sessions in both of their languages at each age, from which vocabulary and grammatical information (number of different words and mean length of utterance) was extracted. Vocabulary information was also obtained from parent inventories completed when the children were 30 months and a standardized receptive vocabulary test administered at 36 and 48 months. The children were also administered nonword repetition tests in both of their languages at each age. Results Mixed logistic regression indicated that phonological memory was associated with vocabulary and grammar within the same language and phonological memory in the other language. In two of the four statistical models, phonological memory exhibited positive between-language relations, and in one model, it exhibited negative between-language relations to language development. Results also indicated that within-language and between-languages effects remained constant, or between-language associations decreased during the age range studied. Conclusion Overall, the findings provide some support for cross-language associations between phonological memory and lexical and grammatical skills.

scholarly journals Relationship between mean length of utterance and vocabulary in children with typical language development

Revista CEFAC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Letícia Arruda Nóro ◽  
Helena Bolli Mota
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Statistical Analysis System ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Age Range

ABSTRACT Purpose: to investigate the existence of a relationship between vocabulary and measures of mean length of utterance in children in their language development phase. Methods: the sample consisted of 72 children aged 2 to 4 years, 11 months and 29 days, 36 boys and 36 girls, with typical language development, evenly distributed into age groups, enrolled in kindergartens with the public school system, in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Videos of the spontaneous speech of each subject were made, and then, the analysis of the vocabulary and Mean Length of Utterance took place. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Analysis System program, version 9.2 and Spearman correlation coefficient, with a significance level of p <0.05. Results: the influence of gender in the Mean Length of Utterance correlation and vocabulary was observed. There was a difference between the ages of 2 and 4 years. Conclusion: vocabulary development promotes mean length utterance, indicating positive correlation between gender and age range.

Polish–English bilingual children overuse referential markers: MLU inflation in Polish-language narratives

2020 ◽  
pp. 014272372093376
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Otwinowska ◽  
Marcin Opacki ◽  
Karolina Mieszkowska ◽  
Marta Białecka-Pikul ◽  
Zofia Wodniecka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Overt Pronouns ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Dp Structure ◽  
Polish Language ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Cross Language

Polish and English differ in the surface realization of the underlying Determiner Phrase (DP): Polish lacks an article system, whereas English makes use of articles for both grammatical and pragmatic reasons. This difference has an impact on how referentiality is rendered in both languages. In this article, the authors investigate the use of referential markers by Polish–English bilingual children and Polish monolingual children. Using the LITMUS-MAIN picture stories, the authors collected speech samples of Polish–English bilinguals raised in the UK ( n = 92, mean age 5;7) and compared them with matched Polish monolinguals ( n = 92, mean age 5;7). The analyses revealed that the bilinguals’ mean length of utterance (MLU) in Polish was significantly higher than that of the monolinguals because the bilinguals produced significantly more referential markers (especially pronouns) which inflated their MLU. The authors posit that the non-standard referentiality used by the bilinguals in Polish is caused by cross-language transfer at the syntax–pragmatics interface. When producing narratives in Polish, Polish–English bilinguals overuse referential markers as cohesive devices in their stories, which is not ungrammatical, but pragmatically odd in Polish. Bilinguals tend to do this because they are immersed in English-language input, rich in overt pronouns. Thus, in the process of realizing the surface features of the Polish DP they partly rely on an underlying English DP structure.

scholarly journals Code-switching as a marker of linguistic competence in bilingual children

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1075-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. QUIN YOW ◽  
JESSICA S. H. TAN ◽  
SUZANNE FLYNN
Keyword(s):  
Code Switching ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Linguistic Competence ◽  
Switching Behavior ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Mandarin Language ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Language Competencies

Code-switching is a common phenomenon that bilinguals engage in, including bilingual children. While many researchers have analyzed code-switching behaviors to better understand more about the language processes in bilingual children, few have examined how code-switching behavior affects a child's linguistic competence. This study thus sought to examine the relationship between code-switching and linguistic competency in bilingual children. Fifty-five English–Mandarin bilingual children aged 5 to 6 years were observed during classroom activities over five days (three hours each day). A number of different word roots and mean length of utterance for both languages, and a number of code-switched utterances for each child, were computed. English receptive vocabulary scores were also obtained. Additionally, teachers rated children's English and Mandarin language competencies approximately six months later. Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses support the argument that code-switching does not indicate linguistic incompetence. Instead, bilingual children's code-switching strongly suggests that it is a marker of linguistic competence.

Phonological memory training and its effect on second language vocabulary development

2020 ◽  
pp. 026765831989851
Author(s):  
Alexandra Karousou ◽  
Theodora Nerantzaki
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Phonological Memory ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
Experimental Group

Recent studies highlight the important contribution of phonological working memory (PM) in the early stages of both native and foreign language development. However, research on the effects of PM training on language development is very limited. This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a PM training educational intervention as a means of fostering vocabulary development in beginner-level young learners of English as a second/foreign language (L2). A double-blind pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was adopted, with an experimental group ( n = 50) and a matched active control group ( n = 47). All participants were initially assessed with an English-sounding nonword repetition test and an English language vocabulary test (receptive and productive). In addition, the experimental group students participated in the PM training (33 sessions of 15-minutes length within 12 weeks), while the control students participated in non-phonological-memory related English language activities. After the conclusion of the intervention, PM and L2 vocabulary were reassessed in both groups. Results confirm previous findings on the significant relationship between PM and L2 vocabulary size and provide evidence for PM trainability, as well as on resultant L2 productive vocabulary gains. No effect of PM training was detected on receptive vocabulary development. Results are discussed with regard to their theoretical implications, and to possible applications of PM training as a method for supporting vocabulary development in the L2 classroom.

scholarly journals Relations between phonological production, grammar and the lexicon in bilingual French-English children

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692110319
Author(s):  
Margaret Kehoe ◽  
Margaret Friend ◽  
Diane Poulin-Dubois
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Canadian French ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Cross Domain ◽  
French And English ◽  
Language Effects ◽  
The One ◽  
Cross Language

Aims and objectives: This study examines multiple associations between language domains in bilingual children with a focus on phonology. Previous studies indicate within- but not cross-language associations between vocabulary and grammar in bilingual children. We investigate whether the relation between phonology and other language domains differs from the one reported between vocabulary and grammar. Methodology: Canadian French-English bilingual children ( n = 31), aged 31 months, participated in 2 free-play sessions, from which lexical, grammatical and phonological information was extracted. The children’s parents completed the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventories and its Canadian French adaptation providing additional information on vocabulary and grammar in each of the children’s languages. They also completed a questionnaire on their children’s exposure to French and English. Data analysis: Within and cross-language relations between phonology, vocabulary and grammar were investigated using correlational analyses and mixed logistic regression. Findings: Correlational analyses did not reveal significant cross-language relations between phonology, vocabulary and grammar. However, mixed logistic regression, which controlled for language exposure effects, indicated that phonology was influenced by vocabulary and grammar both within and across languages. Originality: This study is one of the first to study cross-domain relations involving phonology in young bilingual children. Implications: Overall, the findings suggest that phonology displays a pattern of relations that is different from other language domains engendering between-language effects due to a language-general component.

Fine-tuning of utterance length to preverbal infants: effects on later language development

1990 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann D. Murray ◽  
Jeanne Johnson ◽  
Jo Peters
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Preverbal Infants ◽  
Fine Tune

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to determine (1) whether mothers simplify their speech during the second half of the first year of development when infants begin to comprehend words and use gestures to communicate intentionally, and (2) whether individual differences in mothers' speech adjustments influence their infants' later language acquisition. The subjects for the study were 14 mother-infant pairs from a medically low risk sample who were followed longitudinally. Mothers' mean length of utterance (MLU) was calculated from transcripts of face-to-face interaction when the infants were 0;3, 0;6, and 0;9 in age. Mothers who provided responsive and stimulating environments, as indicated by HOME scores, also reduced their MLU over the age range studied. Moreover, mothers' MLU adjustments during the first year were more predictive than the HOME scale in forecasting receptive language development at 1; 6. In contrast, expressive language abilities at 1; 6 were unrelated to the environmental variables measured but were predicted by child characteristics such as the infant's sex. These results suggest that a mother's ability to ‘fine-tune’ her early linguistic input may be predictive of her child's later receptive language functioning. Precursors of fine-tuning, such as maternal beliefs in reciprocity and infant object orientation, are discussed.

scholarly journals Mean Length of Utterance in Cypriot Greek-speaking Children

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louiza Voniati
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Age Range

While research undertaken worldwide indicates that mean length of utterance (MLU) is a valuable index in investigations of child language development, to date there have been no studies exploring MLU in pre-primary Cypriot Greek (CYG)-speaking children. The participants in this study were 36 monolingual CYG-speaking children at ages 36, 40, 44 and 48 months, with a typical course of language development. The findings demonstrated that MLU counted in words (MLU-w) of typically developing CYG-speaking children had a positive correlation with age (from 36 to 48 months) and a non-significant difference in MLU-w by gender at each age point, and that typically developing CYG-speaking children, for the age range studied, tended to produce more multiword utterance types. An outcome of this study is an MLU-w database which could be used, with some caution, in the language assessment of a similar population or as the basis for future studies. Areas for further research are identified.

Crosslinguistic influence in bilingual acquisition: subject omission in learners of Inuktitut and English

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 893-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELIZABETH E. ZWANZIGER ◽  
SHANLEY E. M. ALLEN ◽  
FRED GENESEE
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
English Only ◽  
Target Languages ◽  
Crosslinguistic Influence ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
Language Pair

This study investigates subject omission in six English-Inuktitut simultaneous bilingual children, aged 1;8–3;9, to examine whether there are cross-language influences in their language development. Previous research with other language pairs has shown that the morphosyntax of one language can influence the development of morphosyntax in the other language. Most of this research has focused on Romance-Germanic language combinations using case studies. In this study, we examined a language pair (English-Inuktitut) with radically different morphosyntactic structures. Analysis of the English-only and Inuktitut-only utterances of the children revealed monolingual-like acquisition patterns and subject omission rates. The data indicate that these bilingual children possessed knowledge of the target languages that was language-specific and that previously identified triggers for crosslinguistic influence do not operate universally.

Constructively combining languages

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Endesfelder Quick ◽  
Elena Lieven ◽  
Ad Backus ◽  
Michael Tomasello
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Language Preference ◽  
Type Analysis ◽  
Objective Measurements ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Construction Type ◽  
Language Context ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Abstract Language development in bilingual children is often related to differing levels of proficiency. Objective measurements of bilingual development include for example mean length of utterance (MLU). MLU is almost always calculated for each language context (including both monolingual and code-mixed utterances). In the current study, we analyzed the MLUs of three German-English bilingual children, aged 2;3–3;11 separately for the monolingual and code-mixed utterances. Our results showed that language preference was reflected in MLU values: the more children spoke in one language the higher the MLU was in that language. However, it was the mixed utterances that had the highest MLU for all three children. We support the results with a construction type analysis and suggest a potential usage-based explanation for these results based on individual differences in each child’s developmental inventory of words and constructions.

Effects of academic and non-academic instructional approaches on preschool English language learners’ classroom engagement and English language development

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Markova
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Free Play ◽  
English Language Development ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
English Language Skills

This research compared the relative impact of different preschool activities on the development of bilingual students’ English-language skills. The study investigated whether bilingual preschool children would engage more, and use more of their second language (English), during free-play (non-academic) versus teacher-structured (academic) activities. The researcher utilized both quantitative and qualitative research approaches; data sources included 285 preschool observations made in three classrooms in Northern California. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics (e.g. frequencies/percentages, mean values, and standard deviations). In addition, children’s observed scores were also analyzed by normative scales using standardized z-scores. The findings of this study indicated that bilingual children engaged and interacted significantly more during free-play (non-academic) preschool classroom activities than during teacher-structured (academic) activities. Specific free-play activities enabling optimal engagement and second language acquisition were pretend play, free play, and monkey bars. The study’s major implication is that free-play (non-academic) activities may be much more helpful in developing bilingual preschoolers’ English-language skills than teacher-structured (academic) activities. Free-play activities are an affordance for making language available, which helps with building academic skills and cultural capital. This study proves that free-play activities are an affordance for language learning because bilingual children have shown dramatically greater engagement in non-academic activities (vs academic activities). The importance of free-play activities may extend beyond preschool classrooms (e.g. greater English-language development in early preschool may subsequently positively impact student performance in kindergarten). Thus, unstructured, social-based activities should be implemented for bilingual students in K-12 classrooms. Free-play (i.e. non-academic) activities should be implemented in preschool.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document