Parent report of early lexical production in bilingual children: a cross-linguistic CDI comparison

2019 ◽  
pp. 8-29
Author(s):  
Ciara O’Toole ◽  
Daniela Gatt ◽  
Tina M. Hickey ◽  
Aneta Miękisz ◽  
Ewa Haman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parent Report ◽  
Bilingual Children

scholarly journals Cross-language synonyms in the lexicons of bilingual infants: one language or two?

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Zurer Pearson ◽  
Sylvia Fernández ◽  
D. K. Oller
Keyword(s):  
Parent Report ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
Bilingual Child ◽  
Empirical Claim ◽  
Language System ◽  
Strong Principle ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
Rule Out

ABSTRACTThis study tests the widely-cited claim from Volterra & Taeschner (1978), which is reinforced by Clark's Principle Of Contrast (1987), that young simultaneous bilingual children reject cross-language synonyms in their earliest lexicons. The rejection of translation equivalents is taken by Volterra & Taeschner as support for the idea that the bilingual child possesses a single-language system which includes elements from both languages. We examine first the accuracy of the empirical claim and then its adequacy as support for the argument that bilingual children do not have independent lexical systems in each language. The vocabularies of 27 developing bilinguals were recorded at varying intervals between ages 0;8 and 2;6, using the MacArthur GDI, a standardized parent report form in English and Spanish. The two single-language vocabularies of each bilingual child were compared to determine how many pairs of translation equivalents (TEs) were reported for each child at different stages of development. TEs were observed for all children but one, with an average of 30% of all words coded in the two languages, both at early stages (in vocabularies of 2–12 words) and later (up to 500 words). Thus, Volterra & Taeschner's empirical claim was not upheld. Further, the number of TEs in the bilinguals' two lexicons was shown to be similar to the number of lexical items which co-occurred in the monolingual lexicons of two different children, as observed in 34 random pairings for between-child comparisons. It remains to be shown, therefore, that the bilinguals' lexicons are not composed of two independent systems at a very early age. Furthermore, the results appear to rule out the operation of a strong principle of contrast across languages in early bilingualism.

scholarly journals English Narrative Macrostructure Development of Spanish–English Bilingual Children From Preschool to First Grade

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Dana Bitetti ◽  
Carol Scheffner Hammer
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Head Start ◽  
Puerto Rican ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Growth Curve Models ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Developmental Progression ◽  
Important Time

Purpose This longitudinal study examined the development of seven macrostructure features in the English narratives of Spanish–English bilingual children from the beginning of preschool to the end of first grade and examined whether the timing of English exposure impacted this development. Method Narratives were collected over 4 years for 103 children of Puerto Rican descent. Narratives were elicited in the fall and spring of each year and coded for macrostructure using the Narrative Scoring Scheme, which generates a score for each macrostructure feature. Using parent report of the timing of English exposure, the children were grouped according to whether they had learned Spanish and English from birth (home English communication) or whether they had been primarily exposed to English in Head Start (school English communication [SEC]). Results Growth curve models revealed that the children's production of all seven narrative features demonstrated growth over the 4 years. Some features demonstrated slowed growth during the school years. Though the children in the SEC group began Head Start with significantly lower macrostructure scores than the children in the home English communication group, the SEC children demonstrated faster growth rates for a majority of features once schooling began. Conclusions The results provide information about the unique developmental progression of each macrostructure feature in the English narratives of bilingual children. The findings suggest that individual macrostructure features were susceptible to the effects of the timing of English exposure. The preschool years mark an important time to promote bilingual children's narrative production, especially for children exposed primarily to Spanish at home.

Parent report of early lexical production in bilingual children: a cross-linguistic CDI comparison

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara O’Toole ◽  
Daniela Gatt ◽  
Tina M. Hickey ◽  
Aneta Miękisz ◽  
Ewa Haman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parent Report ◽  
Bilingual Children

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.

Amount trumps timing in bilingual vocabulary acquisition: Effects of input in simultaneous and sequential school-age bilinguals

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 236-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Thordardottir
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
Timing Of Exposure

Objectives: This study examined the extent to which the language performance of school-age bilingual children is impacted by the amount of language exposure they have received in each language versus the timing of this exposure in terms of the age of first exposure (AoE). Methods: Receptive and expressive vocabulary and word morphology measures were administered in both languages to school-age simultaneous and sequential learners of French (other language English), and to their monolingual counterparts. Data and analysis: The study included 64 children in first grade and 68 children in third grade in French schools in Montreal. Within each grade level, simultaneous bilinguals, sequential bilinguals, and monolinguals were equivalent in age, nonverbal cognition and socio-economic status (maternal education). Detailed information on previous language exposure was gathered by parent report. Conclusions: Simultaneous bilinguals performed somewhat better than sequential bilinguals; however both groups overall performed significantly more poorly than monolinguals. Differences in performance between simultaneous and sequential bilinguals were mediated by differences in amount, not timing, of exposure. Sequential learners in grade 1 required lower amounts of input to reach high French scores than did their simultaneous counterparts; sequential and simultaneous learners in grade 3 did not differ in this respect. This finding suggests that the recency of bilingual exposure is a significant determiner of the rate of second language learning. The amount of exposure to each language since birth predicted performance in each language of the bilingual children. Originality: Bilingual children with different AoEs were compared while also controlling for differences in amount of exposure. Significant implications: The results call into question the traditional separation between simultaneous and sequential bilinguals and shows that an early start of bilingualism does not in and of itself predict better performance or performance within the monolingual range. Better performance was more strongly related to amount than timing of exposure.

Factors Influencing Cognate Performance for Young Multilingual Children's Vocabulary: A Research Synthesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2170-2188
Author(s):  
Lindsey R. Squires ◽  
Sara J. Ohlfest ◽  
Kristen E. Santoro ◽  
Jennifer L. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Test Validity ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Word Characteristics ◽  
Study Inclusion ◽  
Task Level

Purpose The purpose of this systematic review was to determine evidence of a cognate effect for young multilingual children (ages 3;0–8;11 [years;months], preschool to second grade) in terms of task-level and child-level factors that may influence cognate performance. Cognates are pairs of vocabulary words that share meaning with similar phonology and/or orthography in more than one language, such as rose – rosa (English–Spanish) or carrot – carotte (English–French). Despite the cognate advantage noted with older bilingual children and bilingual adults, there has been no systematic examination of the cognate research in young multilingual children. Method We conducted searches of multiple electronic databases and hand-searched article bibliographies for studies that examined young multilingual children's performance with cognates based on study inclusion criteria aligned to the research questions. Results The review yielded 16 articles. The majority of the studies (12/16, 75%) demonstrated a positive cognate effect for young multilingual children (measured in higher accuracy, faster reaction times, and doublet translation equivalents on cognates as compared to noncognates). However, not all bilingual children demonstrated a cognate effect. Both task-level factors (cognate definition, type of cognate task, word characteristics) and child-level factors (level of bilingualism, age) appear to influence young bilingual children's performance on cognates. Conclusions Contrary to early 1990s research, current researchers suggest that even young multilingual children may demonstrate sensitivity to cognate vocabulary words. Given the limits in study quality, more high-quality research is needed, particularly to address test validity in cognate assessments, to develop appropriate cognate definitions for children, and to refine word-level features. Only one study included a brief instruction prior to assessment, warranting cognate treatment studies as an area of future need. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12753179

An Introductory Examination of Speech Disfluencies in Spanish–English Bilingual Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter During Narratives

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-141
Author(s):  
Cristina Rincon ◽  
Kia Noelle Johnson ◽  
Courtney Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Criteria ◽  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Diagnostic Information ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Developmental Stuttering ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency and type of speech disfluencies (stuttering-like and nonstuttering-like) in bilingual Spanish–English (SE) children who stutter (CWS) to SE children who do not stutter (CWNS) during narrative samples elicited in Spanish and English to provide further diagnostic information for this population and preliminary data toward an expansion of this study. Method Participants included six bilingual SE children (three CWS, three CWNS) ranging in age from 5 years to 7;5 (years;months) and recruited from the surrounding Houston, Texas area. Participants provided a narrative sample in English and Spanish. The frequency of speech disfluencies was tabulated, and mean length of utterance was measured for each sample. Results Results indicate that both talker groups exceed the diagnostic criteria typically used for developmental stuttering. Regardless of the language being spoken, CWS participants had a frequency of stuttering-like speech disfluencies that met or exceeded the diagnostic criteria for developmental stuttering that is based on monolingual English speakers. The CWNS participants varied in meeting the criteria depending on the language being spoken, with one of the three CWNS exceeding the criteria in both languages and one exceeding the criteria for percentage of stuttering-like speech disfluencies in one language. Conclusion Findings from this study contribute to the development of more appropriate diagnostic criteria for bilingual SE-speaking children to aid in the reduction of misdiagnoses of stuttering in this population.

Classifying Disfluencies in Preschool- and School-Age Spanish–English Bilinguals Who Do Not Stutter: An Exploratory Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-130
Author(s):  
Raúl Rojas ◽  
Farzan Irani
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Total Percentage ◽  
Narrative Production ◽  
Language Measures ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Purpose This exploratory study examined the language skills and the type and frequency of disfluencies in the spoken narrative production of Spanish–English bilingual children who do not stutter. Method A cross-sectional sample of 29 bilingual students (16 boys and 13 girls) enrolled in grades prekindergarten through Grade 4 produced a total of 58 narrative retell language samples in English and Spanish. Key outcome measures in each language included the percentage of normal (%ND) and stuttering-like (%SLD) disfluencies, percentage of words in mazes (%MzWds), number of total words, number of different words, and mean length of utterance in words. Results Cross-linguistic, pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences with medium effect sizes for %ND and %MzWds (both lower for English) as well as for number of different words (lower for Spanish). On average, the total percentage of mazed words was higher than 10% in both languages, a pattern driven primarily by %ND; %SLDs were below 1% in both languages. Multiple linear regression models for %ND and %SLD in each language indicated that %MzWds was the primary predictor across languages beyond other language measures and demographic variables. Conclusions The findings extend the evidence base with regard to the frequency and type of disfluencies that can be expected in bilingual children who do not stutter in grades prekindergarten to Grade 4. The data indicate that %MzWds and %ND can similarly index the normal disfluencies of bilingual children during narrative production. The potential clinical implications of the findings from this study are discussed.

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