Cognates Facilitate Word Recognition in Young Spanish-English Bilinguals' Test Performance

This study was conducted to determine whether bilingual children of kindergarten and first grade age were able to recognize cognates of Spanish words, and whether the ability to recognize cognates changed the score on a measure of English vocabulary.

89 bilingual children were administered all of the items on the Test of Language Development-Primary:3 (TOLD-P:3) Picture Vocabulary Subtest (Newcomer & Hammill, 1997). Parents and teachers provided information about the child's English and Spanish exposure. Data analysis using repeated measures ANOVA compared performance in bilingual children divided by level of relative exposure to Spanish and English on cognate verses noncognate items.

Sensitivity to cognate status was related to the amount of language exposure. Children exposed to more Spanish knew more of the English cognates of Spanish words than children who were exposed to balanced amounts of Spanish and English and those exposed to more English. Standard scores differences on the TOLD-P:3 across all levels of Spanish-English exposure were found using ceiling rules and total raw scores.

Findings suggest a transfer of vocabulary knowledge from the students' first language (Spanish) to receptive vocabulary in English. Children as early as kindergarten are sensitive to the Spanish/English cognates. Results have implications for understanding bilingual children's' performance on assessment, and for developing intervention strategies to enhance vocabulary in English language learners.