Language use and attitudinal patterns among Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking bilingual children in the United States

Heterogeneity in childhood bilingualism reflects differences between bilingual groups as well as variation within a group. We investigate children's language attitudes, use, and proficiency in their first language (L1) and second language, English, in two bilingual groups. We examine between-group differences in a sample of bilingual children (N = 122, age range 5 to 10) who speak an L1 of Spanish (n= 55) or Vietnamese (n= 67); within-group differences are measured by chronological age, nativity, and schooling. Participants completed vocabulary tasks in their L1 and English and an individually administered survey to report on their own proficiency, use, and attitudes. Results from Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking children highlight commonalities and distinctions in the pathway toward bilingualism. Age and bilingual schooling positively related to children's proficiency as measured by vocabulary in each language. Nativity (U.S. born status) had negative associations with the L1 and either positive or neutral associations with English outcomes. While children's attitudes and language use each predicted proficiency in the L1 and in English, attitudes accounted for more variance in proficiency than use alone. The results of the current study have implications for bilingual language acquisition and the role of language use, attitudes, and proficiency.