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Infant learning of words in a typologically distant nonnative language
Hui Chen1,2, Dahliane LabertoniÈre1,2, Hintat Cheung3
1CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France.
Journal of Child Language
|May 7, 2020
Summary
Even after tuning into their native language, 18-month-old infants can learn new words in a distinct, unfamiliar language like Cantonese. This demonstrates continued word-learning ability in a second language during the second year of life.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Language Acquisition
Background:
- Infants typically attune to their native language within the first two years.
- This attunement involves reduced processing of nonnative sounds and narrower sound categorization for native words.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if infants in their second year of life can still learn new words in a typologically distinct, unfamiliar language.
- To determine the extent of word-learning capabilities beyond native language acquisition.
Main Methods:
- French-learning infants aged 1 year and 8 months participated in the study.
- Infants were exposed to new Cantonese words, with each word repeated 6 times.
- The ability to learn these new, nonnative words was assessed.
Main Results:
- Infants successfully learned new Cantonese words after only 6 repetitions.
- This learning occurred despite Cantonese being typologically distinct from their native French.
- Indicates robust word-learning capacity persists in the second year of life.
Conclusions:
- Word learning in a nonnative language remains possible for infants in their second year.
- This capability extends even to languages with significant typological differences from the native language.
- Suggests a flexible window for second language word acquisition during early development.
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