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Language choice in the earliest utterances: a case study with methodological implications
1Department of Linguistics, School of English and Linguistics, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL29 7ED, UK. M.Deuchar@bangor.ac.uk
Journal of Child Language
|November 15, 2001
Summary
Early bilingual children learning English and Spanish can make appropriate language choices. This study tracked vocabulary and language context to understand bilingual development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Bilingualism
Background:
- Investigating early bilingual language acquisition requires specific methodologies.
- Understanding language choice in simultaneous bilinguals is crucial for developmental research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine how early simultaneous bilingual children make appropriate language choices.
- To propose methodological standards for studying early bilingual language development.
Main Methods:
- Detailed tracking of a child's cumulative vocabulary from 10 months.
- Weekly audiovisual recordings in both English and Spanish contexts from 15 months.
Main Results:
- Children showed a strong tendency to match the language of their utterances to the surrounding context.
- This contextual matching was observed at ages 1;7-1;8.
Conclusions:
- Early bilinguals demonstrate an ability to adapt their language use to the environment.
- Methodological rigor, including detailed lexical records and multilingual context data, is essential for accurate insights into bilingual development.
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