Cross-language distance influences receptive vocabulary outcomes of bilingual children

Blom, Elma; Boerma, Tessel; Bosma, Evelyn; Cornips, L.; Heuij, Kirsten van den; Timmermeister, Mona

doi:10.1177/0142723719892794

Cited by 28 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 59 publications

(93 reference statements)

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“…Lastly, there may be various degrees of interaction between the two languages depending on the specific languages a bilingual child is learning (Paradis & Genesee, 1996;Serratrice, 2013). Bilingual children learning two languages with great typological proximity were found to have better vocabulary compared to bilingual children learning two languages that are distant from each other (Blom et al, 2020;Floccia et al, 2018). In summary, by the time these children enter school, it is reasonable to hypothesize that they will have a variety of skills in each language as a function of their individual linguistic experience.…”

Section: Rationale For the Potential Presence Of Distinct Dual Langua...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual Language Profiles in Spanish-Speaking English Learners

Rojas

Iglesias

2022

J Speech Lang Hear Res

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe latent dual language profiles in a large sample of school-age Spanish–English bilingual children designated as English learners (ELs) by their school district. Method: Data for this study include 847 Spanish-speaking ELs from kindergarten to third grade. Spanish and English narrative retell language samples were collected from all participants. Four oral language measures were calculated in Spanish and English, including the subordination index, moving average type–token ratio, narrative structure scheme (NSS), and words per minute using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcript. These indicator measures were used in a latent profile analysis to identify dual language profiles. Results: The optimal model represents a four-profile solution, including a Spanish-dominant group (average Spanish, low English), an English-dominant group (low Spanish, average English), and two balanced groups (a balanced-average group and a balanced-high group). Additionally, participants displayed uneven performance across language domains and distinct patterns of unique strength or weakness in a specific domain in one of their two languages. Conclusions: Findings from this study highlight the large variability in English and Spanish oral language abilities in school-age Spanish-speaking ELs and suggest that a dichotomous classification of ELs versus English-proficient students may not be sufficient to determine the type of educational program that best fits a specific bilingual child's need. These findings highlight the need to assess both languages across multiple language domains to paint a representative picture of a bilingual child's language abilities. The dual language profiles identified may be used to guide the educational program selection process to improve the congruence among the linguistic needs of an individual child, teachers' use of instructional language, and the goals of the educational program (i.e., improving English proficiency vs. supporting dual language development). Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.20151836

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Section: Rationale For the Potential Presence Of Distinct Dual Langua...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual Language Profiles in Spanish-Speaking English Learners

Rojas

Iglesias

2022

J Speech Lang Hear Res

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“…This is possible: the number of words in the English task which were cognates with Dutch (42%) was considerably higher than in the Spanish task (17%). This is of course in line with broader differences between the two languages and for this reason, the proficiency task may be considered ecologically valid (Blom et al, 2020).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 68%

Shared syntax and cross-linguistic influence in bilingual children: Evidence from between- and within-language priming

Unsworth¹

2022

Preprint

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Studies showing between-language priming in bilingual adults suggest that syntactic representations are shared across languages (e.g., Hartsuiker, Pickering & Veltkamp, 2004). In this paper we investigate whether this also holds for bilingual children. In doing so, we explore the role of shared syntax in cross-linguistic influence, a well-established but as yet poorly understood characteristic of bilingual language development. In Experiment 1, we primed bilingual English-Dutch children between languages using possessive structures (e.g., the astronaut’s dog vs. the dog of the astronaut). In Experiment 2, we compared the same group of children with bilingual Spanish-Dutch and monolingual Dutch children using within-language priming. In both experiments, we examined the relation between priming behaviour and individual differences in language exposure, use and proficiency. Experiment 1 found between-language priming with long-lasting effects modulated by bilingual proficiency. Experiment 2 found evidence of inverse priming effects in within-language priming modulated – to a certain degree – by properties of the bilingual children’s other language. Taken together, these findings suggests that bilingual children develop shared syntactic representations for structures which are similar across their two languages.

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“…On occasion, there were follow up studies of assumptions underlying assessment (e.g. Blom et al, 2019;Floccia et al, 2020 on the concept of linguistic distance) but no direct validations of forms for the bilingual case.…”

Section: Did Studies Validate the Parent Report Instruments For Use I...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Parent Report to Measure Vocabulary in Young Bilingual Children: A Scoping Review

Weisleder¹,

Friend²,

Tsui³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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A large number of children in the world are exposed to more than one language. One well-established method of assessing early vocabulary development in monolingual children is parent report, however, its use in bilingual/multilingual contexts is less established and brings unique challenges. In this methodological scoping review, we reviewed studies of early vocabulary development using parent report with bilingual/multilingual children (1980-2022). A total of 576 articles were screened, yielding 101 studies for analysis. The number of studies on bilingual vocabulary grew in the last two decades, yet representation of the world’s languages remains sparse. The majority of studies assessed bilingual children's vocabulary in both languages and used instruments adapted for linguistic and cultural factors. However, the field could benefit from standardized reporting practices regarding definitions of bi/multilingualism, selection of reporters, and tool development. Studies that develop, validate, and norm parent report instruments specifically for the bilingual case are critically needed.

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Cross-language distance influences receptive vocabulary outcomes of bilingual children

Cited by 28 publications

References 59 publications

Dual Language Profiles in Spanish-Speaking English Learners

Dual Language Profiles in Spanish-Speaking English Learners

Shared syntax and cross-linguistic influence in bilingual children: Evidence from between- and within-language priming

Using Parent Report to Measure Vocabulary in Young Bilingual Children: A Scoping Review

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