Bilingual first-language development: Dominant language takeover, threatened minority language take-up

Abstract

This study explores the extent to which bilingual speakers in stable bilingual communities become fully bilingual in their two community languages. Growing evidence shows that in bilingual communities in which one language is very dominant, acquisition of the dominant language may be quite unproblematic across sub-groups, while acquisition of the minority language can be hampered under conditions of reduced input. In Wales, children are exposed to both English and Welsh from an early age, either in the home or at school, or both. The data reported here indicate that regardless of home language background, speakers develop equivalent, mature command of English, but that command of Welsh is directly correlated with the level of input in Welsh in the home and at school. Furthermore, maintenance of Welsh in adulthood may be contingent on continued exposure to the language. The data have implications for theories of bilingual acquisition in stable versus immigrant bilingual communities, for optimal conditions for bringing up bilingual children, and for theories of critical periods of acquisition.

Productive Trilingualism in Infancy: What Makes it Possible?

“…This study has shown that the initial build-up of separate linguistic systems might be a natural step in the course of becoming trilingual; yet, it is not a sufficient condition to develop and maintain productive trilingualism. As Gathercole and Thomas (2009) have shown, only consistent exposure to these languages throughout development and a social context that strongly supports trilingualism will allow the child to maintain her multilingual abilities and become a successful member of three language communities.…”

Selektiver Mutismus bei mehrsprachigen Kindern

“…Der Wortschatzumfang in einer Sprache kann sich bei einem bilingualen Kind jedoch von dem eines monolingualen Kindes unterscheiden (Barac & Bialystok, 2012;Bialystok, Luk, Peets & Yang, 2010;Oller, Pearson & Cobo-Lewis, 2007) und hängt vor allem vom Input in der jeweiligen Sprache ab (Bialystok et al, 2010;Duursma et al, 2007 (Paradis, Genesee & Crago, 2010). Die Ausprägung der Sprachdominanz hängt wiederum von der Menge des Inputs ab (Gathercole & Thomas, 2009 Der sukzessive Erwerb zweier Sprachen ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Konfrontation mit der zweiten Sprache erst dann erfolgt, wenn die Erstsprache der Kinder bereits gut entwickelt ist (Paradis et al, 2010 Culture is an organization of phenomena-acts (patterns of behavior), objects (tools; things made with tools), ideas (belief, knowledge), and sentiments (attitudes, "values")-that is dependent upon the use of symbols. Culture began when man as an articulate, symbol-using primate, began.…”

Curriculum development in a heritage language community-based school: A Qualitative inquiry regarding a Brazilian-Portuguese program in South Florida

“…Bilingualism is a common phenomenon in our society, and an increasing number of researchers (Baker, 2001;Bialystok, 2007;Gathercole, 2002;Gathercole, 2007;Gathercole, and Thomas, 2009;Grosjean, 2010) have investigated to understand its complexities.…”

“…Frequency of input is determined by a complex interaction of factors such as the language spoken at home, the language of the school, and the socioeconomic status of the child. Research in linguistics has concluded that as children gain sufficient exposure to the structures of the minority language to draw out the necessary generalizations, the gap between bilinguals and monolinguals diminish or extinguish over time (Gathercole, 2002;Gathercole, 2007;Gathercole & Thomas, 2009, Paradis, 2010.…”