Bilingualism in Language Development

Question 1

Who are Bilingual Children?

Answer 1

Receive regular input in 2 or more languages between birth and adolescence

Question 2

What are the factors influencing a child’s proficiency in each language?

Answer 2

• SES
• Parent edu
• Home literacy
• Gender exerts
• Child’s individual styles, preferences, cognitive abilities and aptitude

Question 3

What are the factors impacting language proficiency in bilinguals only?

Answer 3

• Age at which consistent input in 2 language begins
• Environments in which language experience occurs
• Relative social prestige and broader community support associated with each language
• Purposes for which these languages are needed

Question 4

Who are simultaneous (native) bilinguals?

Answer 4

2 languages beginning at or shortly after birth

Question 5

How is the language development of bilinguals compared to monolinguals?

Answer 5

• Say first word and develop core vocabulary at the same ages
• Progress through early language milestones in a timely fashion
• Use language for same communicative purpose with same degree of clarity
• Breadth of words consistent
• Attainment of later language milestones at the same age

Question 6

How will the exposure be for bilinguals?

Answer 6

Uneven: bigger vocabulary in one of the languages, process words faster in relatively stronger language

Question 7

How do bilinguals use their languages?

Answer 7

for diff purposes, diff interlocutors, diff comm contexts

Question 8

How do bilinguals differ from monolinguals?

Answer 8

Score lower on standardised vocab test BUT score better on cognitive task that require conflict resolution

Question 9

Who are Early Sequential Bilinguals?

Answer 9

Experience with L1 at birth but acquire L2 at some point in childhood

Question 10

What are the trends seen in younger typically developing Early Sequential bilinguals?

Answer 10

• Overgeneralisation from L1: -ve transfer/interference
• Telegraphic speech: combining 2w into simple sentence
• Imitation of previous speaker’s utterances
• Avoidance or use of routine, simplified language constructions
• Silent period: listening and developing their receptive abilities for a period of months before attempting to express

Question 11

Explain how Additive bilingualism can occur.

Answer 11

child learns L2 in formal immersion educational program and shows high levels of language and academic achievement in home language as well as language of immersion

Question 12

What is Additive Bilingualism?

Answer 12

Both languages are valued in the environments

Question 13

What is Subtractive Bilingualism?

Answer 13

Community language is promoted at expense of L1 due to having little social prestige

Question 14

Explain how Subtractive bilingualism can occur.

Answer 14

L1 is a minority language in community and L2 is majority language of both educational system and broader community

Question 15

How do infants discriminate language?

Answer 15

Phonetic repertoire, prosody, phonotactic constraints

Question 16

By which age do infants rely on fine-grained prosodic cues to discriminate between 2 syllable-timed languages?

Answer 16

4m

Question 17

By which age do infants discriminate between the frequency of phonetic categories, distribution and consonantal vs vocalic status?

Answer 17

8m

Question 18

How does speech production vary between young bilinguals and monolinguals?

Answer 18

Accuracy of phonetic repertoires and phonological representations

Question 19

How does the receptive vocabulary develop for bilinguals?

Answer 19

Children will build parallel vocab with translation equivalents from early on

Question 20

Describe the behaviours of a newborn.

Answer 20

• Vision best at 8 inches
• Prefers light-dark contrasts, angularity, complexity, curvature
• Hearing best in frequency range of human voice; prefers human voice;
• Exhibits entrainment
• Facial Expression

Question 21

Describe the behaviours of a 1w infant.

Answer 21

• Self imitations

- reflexive actions regarded as meaningful by caregiver

Question 22

Describe the behaviours of a 2w infant.

Answer 22

Distinguishing of caregiver’s voice and face

Question 23

Describe the behaviours of a 3w infant.

Answer 23

Social smile

Question 24

Describe the behaviours of a 1m infant.

Answer 24

Short visual exchanges with caregiver; prefers human face

Question 25

Describe the behaviours of a 2m infant.

Answer 25

Cooing

Question 26

Describe the behaviours of a 3m infant.

Answer 26

• Face alone not enough to hold attention -> Mum exaggerates facial movements
• More frequent dialogues, decrease of handing by 30%
• Revocalisation likely if caregiver’s verbal response immediately follows child’s first vocalisation
• Vocal turn taking and concurrent vocalisation
• Gaze coupling
• Rituals and games
• Face play

Question 27

Describe the behaviours of a 5m infant.

Answer 27

• Purposeful facial imitation

- Vocalisation to accompany attitude

Question 28

Describe the behaviours of a 6m infant.

Answer 28

Hand and nonspeech imitation

Question 29

Describe the behaviours of a 8m infant.

Answer 29

Gestures

Question 30

Describe the behaviours of a 9m infant.

Answer 30

• Imitation of more complicated motor behaviours

- Following of maternal pointing

Question 31

Describe the behaviours of a 11m infant.

Answer 31

Response to about half of maternal verbal and nonverbal requests

Question 32

Describe the behaviours of a 12m infant.

Answer 32

Use of words to fill communicative functions established by gestures