Exploring minority language input sources as means of supporting the early development of second language vocabulary and grammar

Williams, Nia

doi:10.1017/s0142716416000473

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 82 publications

(111 reference statements)

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“…For example, perhaps children are more likely to engage in imaginative play with older siblings compared to mothers. Indeed, a crucial role for interactive language input has been suggested in previous studies (e.g., Sorenson Duncan & Paradis 2019; Williams & Thomas, 2017). Accordingly, future research which considers the type of interaction, the L2 proficiency, and potential age-related differences in how siblings interact is needed to detail the way in which input from siblings influences L2 acquisition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Home language environment and children's second language acquisition: the special status of input from older siblings

Duncan

Paradis

2020

J. Child Lang.

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Previous research suggests that increased second language (L2) input at home may not support L2 acquisition in children from migrant backgrounds. In drawing this conclusion, existing work has largely aggregated across family members. This study contrasts the effect of L2 input from older siblings with that from mothers. Participants were 113 child L2 learners of English (mean age = 5;10 [range 4;10–7;2]; mean exposure to L2 in school = 16.7 months [range 2–48 months]). All children had at least one older sibling. Using hierarchical linear regression modelling with controls for age, non-verbal reasoning and phonological short-term memory, we found that greater L2 input from siblings – but not mothers – was associated with stronger L2 abilities in narrative macrostructure, inflectional morphology, and vocabulary. Increased cumulative exposure to the L2 at school and greater maternal L2 fluency were also positively related to children's L2 inflectional morphology and vocabulary scores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Home language environment and children's second language acquisition: the special status of input from older siblings

Duncan

Paradis

2020

J. Child Lang.

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“…Similarly, children who engaged in regular co-reading activities with their parents showed larger gains in receptive vocabulary skills than those whose parents read less often to them during lockdown, but no significant gains in expressive vocabulary (Kartushina et al, 2022). Williams and Thomas (2017) have also shown how live interactions with an interlocutor during television viewing in class supports language development among young L2 pupils more so than reading a story out loud to the class or allowing children to passively engage with watching television. Beyond the early years, social interaction has been shown to aid the development of an L2 among adult learners (Verga & Kotz, 2013), regardless of proficiency levels within communicative pairs (Watanabe & Swain, 2007).…”

Section: Key Factors In the Development Of Language Competencementioning

confidence: 94%

“…These social interactions facilitate infants' mapping of words onto objects through joint attention (Baldwin, 2000), leading to the development of a Theory of Mind (Sodian & Kristen-Antonow, 2015), a skill that can facilitate the later development of cognitive reasoning (De Villiers, 2007). Joint attention is often facilitated through co-reading (Farrant & Zubrick, 2012), and co-reading practices are key precursors to the later development of vocabulary, problem-solving, and reading skills (see Williams & Thomas, 2017 for an overview). Interactions with a communicative partner, such as coreading, has clear links with gains in expressive language development, whereas passive engagement with language (spoken or written -e.g., listening to a video recording) contributes to the continuous development of receptive language skills.…”

Section: Key Factors In the Development Of Language Competencementioning

confidence: 99%

Progressing from primary to secondary education during the Covid-19 pandemic: qualitative study of the experiences of learners in Welsh-medium education and families where Welsh is not spoken

Gal¹

2023

Preprint

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant public and personal upheaval, including lockdowns and school closures. Some families found access to the Welsh language, in terms of opportunities to use the language, and in terms of broader support, to be challenging during the pandemic. The lack of exposure to the Welsh language during the pandemic was particularly problematic for pupils from non-Welsh speaking households who attended Welsh-medium schools. Previous research identified important recommendations, however further qualitative research was needed to capture families’ (pupils and their parents) views on the overall experience of the pandemic and the impact on Welsh language skills. The study captures the experiences of pupils enrolled in Welsh-medium education and their non-Welsh speaking parents, in the transitionary period between primary and secondary school during the pandemic. The methodology encompassed a qualitative study design, and recruited pupils enrolled in Welsh-medium education and their non-Welsh speaking parents. The interviews focused on pupils’ experiences of home learning during the pandemic, their experiences of transition from primary to secondary, and the return to school, post lockdown; and parents’ experiences whilst supporting their children during the pandemic. They also covered more generic questions relating to general views around their relationship with the Welsh language. Data collection and analysis took place between January and June of 2023. Nine child / parent pairs participated. One of the key findings highlighted the lack of opportunity to engage actively and use the Welsh language during lockdown. Other key findings include the value of i) strengthening the links between primary and secondary settings to ease the transition process, ii) assessing pupils’ Welsh language skills between key stages to identify any support required e.g. during the transition from primary/secondary, iii) ensuring effective communication between home and school e.g. the use of communicative apps , iv) making effective use of bilingual communication e.g. lists of key terminology that would aid parents in accessing and understanding feedback, and v) Increasing opportunities to use the Welsh language within and outside of school. Key policy and practice implications of this research were also identified.

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“…Instead of focusing on the caparison between monolingual and bilingual infants' linguistic development, more studies have suggested that it is more crucial to consider the effect of other environmental factors. For example, researches identified the amount of language input plays a substantial role in affecting young bilinguals' both vocabulary and grammatical abilities [8,9,10].…”

Section: Language Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Early Bilingualism an Advantage for Children’s Development Under Age 12?

Ruan¹

2021

Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research

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Recently, learning more than one language becomes more and more prevalent worldwide. Therefore, people questioned whether dual language development is beneficial or not and what is the best age to start learning a second language. Previous studies have found that there is a critical age for language acquisition around age 12. Thus, this paper is going to answer the question that whether early bilingualism is an advantage for children's development under age 12. In the review of the empirical data from the literature on comparisons between early bilingual and monolingual children's both cognitive and linguistic development. It was found that learn a second language help improve some components of executive control system, whereas there is no significant difference between early bilinguals and monolinguals' language abilities before early adolescence. Generally, the earlier children learn a second language the more exposure and proficiency they will have for both languages. Thus, better cognitive performance they will have later in life. However, those evidence lacks power and controls over confounding variables such as SES and cultural differences, which may be the alternative explanation for those facilitative responses.

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Exploring minority language input sources as means of supporting the early development of second language vocabulary and grammar

Cited by 4 publications

References 82 publications

Home language environment and children's second language acquisition: the special status of input from older siblings

Home language environment and children's second language acquisition: the special status of input from older siblings

Progressing from primary to secondary education during the Covid-19 pandemic: qualitative study of the experiences of learners in Welsh-medium education and families where Welsh is not spoken

Is Early Bilingualism an Advantage for Children’s Development Under Age 12?

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