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Current Trends and Future Directions in Bilingual Language Acquisition
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Current Trends and Future Directions in Bilingual Language Acquisition

A special issue of Languages (ISSN 2226-471X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2024) | Viewed by 8970

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Milijana Buac

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Health and Human Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
Interests: bilingual/multilingual language acquisition; assessment; input quality; non-native input/accent; language disorders; neurodiversity; cognition
Dr. Ishanti Gangopadhyay

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
Interests: bilingualism; cognition; language acquisition; language disorders; social cues; neurodiversity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is with pleasure that we announce the release of the Special Issue, Current Trends and Future Directions in Bilingual Language Acquisition. Across the globe, bilingualism is the norm. Bilingual speakers occupy unique sociolinguistic environments in that their language input and output are defined by variability, both in quality and quantity (Unsworth, 2016). Yet, many of our theories of language acquisition and current knowledge and practices are based on a monolingual model. Further research is necessary to delineate how variables unique to the bilingual environment such as non-native input (Hoff, Rumiche, Burridge, Ribot, & Welsh, 2014; Place & Hoff, 2011; 2016; Unsworth, Brouwer, de Bree, & Verhagen, 2019), code-switching (Gross, Lopez, Buac, & Kaushanskaya, 2019; Gross, López González, Girardin, & Almeida, 2022; Kaushanskaya & Crespo, 2019), speaker variability (Crespo & Kaushanskaya, 2021; Gangopadhyay & Kaushanskaya, 2022), social cues (Gangopadhyay & Kaushanskaya, 2020; 2021), and other variables impact language acquisition so that equitable educational and clinical practices can be implemented for all individuals. The goal of this Special Issue is to outline current findings related to bilingual language acquisition.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Exploring individual differences impacting language trajectories
  • Exploring environmental factors impacting language trajectories
  • Impact of learning from code mixed input
  • Bilingual language development in neurodivergent children
  • Clinical and educational considerations for bilingual speakers

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Languages editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

References

Crespo, K., & Kaushanskaya, M. (2021). Is 10 better than 1? The effect of speaker variability on children’s cross-situational word learning. Language Learning and Development, 17(4), 397-410.

Gangopadhyay, I., & Kaushanskaya, M. (2020). The role of speaker eye gaze and mutual exclusivity in novel word learning by monolingual and bilingual children. Journal of experimental child psychology, 197, 104878.

Gangopadhyay, I., & Kaushanskaya, M. (2021). Word learning in monolingual and bilingual children: The influence of speaker eye-gaze. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 24(2), 333-343.

Gangopadhyay, I., & Kaushanskaya, M. (2022). The effect of speaker reliability on word learning in monolingual and bilingual children. Cognitive Development, 64, 101252.

Gross, M. C., Lopez, E., Buac, M., & Kaushanskaya, M. (2019). Processing of code-switched sentences by bilingual children: Cognitive and linguistic predictors. Cognitive Development, 52, 100821.

Gross, M. C., López González, A. C., Girardin, M. G., & Almeida, A. M. (2022). Code-Switching by Spanish–English Bilingual Children in a Code-Switching Conversation Sample: Roles of Language Proficiency, Interlocutor Behavior, and Parent-Reported Code-Switching Experience. Languages, 7(4), 246.

Hoff, E., Rumiche, R., Burridge, A., Ribot, K. M., & Welsh, S. N. (2014). Expressive vocabulary development in children from bilingual and monolingual homes: A longitudinal study from two to four years. Early childhood research quarterly, 29(4), 433-444.

Kaushanskaya, M., & Crespo, K. (2019). Does exposure to code‐switching influence language performance in bilingual children?. Child Development, 90(3), 708-718.

Place, S., & Hoff, E. (2011). Properties of dual language exposure that influence 2‐year‐olds’ bilingual proficiency. Child development, 82(6), 1834-1849.

Place, S., & Hoff, E. (2016). Effects and noneffects of input in bilingual environments on dual language skills in 2 ½-year-olds. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 19(5), 1023-1041.

Unsworth, S. Quantity and quality of language input in bilingual language development. In: Nicoladis, E.,

Montanari, S., editors. Lifespan perspectives on bilingualism. Berlin, Germany: de Gruyter; 2016. p. 136-196

Unsworth, S., Brouwer, S., de Bree, E., & Verhagen, J. (2019). Predicting bilingual preschoolers’ patterns of language development: Degree of non-native input matters. Applied Psycholinguistics, 40(5), 1189-1219.

Dr. Milijana Buac
Dr. Ishanti Gangopadhyay
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Languages is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

 

Keywords

  • bilingualism/multilingualism
  • language acquisition
  • input quality
  • input quantity
  • neurodiversity
  • society
  • assessment
  • intervention
  • ethnography

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

37 pages, 2869 KiB  
Article
Adolescent Heritage Speakers: Morphosyntactic Divergence in Estonian Youth Language Usage in Sweden
by Mari-Liis Korkus and Virve-Anneli Vihman
Languages 2024, 9(12), 366; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9120366 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 315
Abstract
Heritage language (HL) research has investigated adults and children, while adolescents have garnered far less attention, despite adolescence being a crucial time in the development of idiolects and identities, and, hence, also for language maintenance. This study describes HL usage among Estonian-Swedish bilingual [...] Read more.
Heritage language (HL) research has investigated adults and children, while adolescents have garnered far less attention, despite adolescence being a crucial time in the development of idiolects and identities, and, hence, also for language maintenance. This study describes HL usage among Estonian-Swedish bilingual teenagers. Data were collected from 21 first- and second-generation Estonian heritage speakers (aged 12–17). Non-standard usage occurred in our corpus at low rates but was found across most speakers in certain areas of morphosyntax. We describe which factors drive such non-standard usage based on the example of two structures with more frequent non-standard occurrence: (1) object marking and (2) experiencer constructions with the verb meeldima ‘to like/please’. Around 6% of objects were marked in divergent ways. Speakers employed two strategies for marking non-standard objects: case omission (i.e., using nominative and/or unmarked forms) and substitution (i.e., using non-target-like marking). Non-standard forms occurred in 11% of experiencer constructions. Speakers diverged more with marking the nominative Stimulus than the dative-like Experiencer, although both occurred in standard and non-standard forms. The reported usage patterns can be explained through the combined effect of cross-linguistic influence, simplification, and input frequency. We also tested the relation between non-standard usage and the speaker’s sociolinguistic background, with mixed results. Considering the limited size and scope of the corpus, overall, the reported divergent usage patterns evidence the role of linguistic input and cross-linguistic effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends and Future Directions in Bilingual Language Acquisition)
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20 pages, 1052 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Non-Native Language Input on Bilingual Children’s Language Skills
by Milijana Buac and Margarita Kaushanskaya
Languages 2023, 8(4), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8040277 - 23 Nov 2023
Viewed by 2527
Abstract
We assessed the impact of non-native language input on Spanish–English bilingual preschool-age children’s language skills. Most participants (96%) had language skills within the average range. We examined whether the number of native English speakers, the number of non-native English speakers, the strength of [...] Read more.
We assessed the impact of non-native language input on Spanish–English bilingual preschool-age children’s language skills. Most participants (96%) had language skills within the average range. We examined whether the number of native English speakers, the number of non-native English speakers, the strength of foreign accent in English, intelligibility (percent intelligible utterances), syntax/morphology (mean length of utterance in morphemes), and grammatical errors were related to children’s overall language skills. The results revealed that the number of native English speakers and intelligibility in English positively predicted children’s language skills while the number of non-native English speakers and the strength of foreign accent in English negatively predicted children’s language skills. None of the grammatical measures predicted children’s language skills. These findings indicate that non-native input can be associated with less robust language skills, but non-native input is not in fact detrimental to language development for neurotypical preschool-age children given their within-average language scores. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends and Future Directions in Bilingual Language Acquisition)
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21 pages, 17150 KiB  
Article
Factors Affecting Home Language Literacy Development in Japanese-English Bicultural Children in Japan
by Suzanne Quay and Janice Nakamura
Languages 2023, 8(4), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8040251 - 24 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2299
Abstract
Simultaneous bilingual and bicultural children who are schooled in the dominant societal language can acquire literacy in their home language through home literacy practices and weekend school. Twenty-eight Japanese-English bilingual–bicultural children (ages 9 to 14) attending English weekend schools in Japan were assessed [...] Read more.
Simultaneous bilingual and bicultural children who are schooled in the dominant societal language can acquire literacy in their home language through home literacy practices and weekend school. Twenty-eight Japanese-English bilingual–bicultural children (ages 9 to 14) attending English weekend schools in Japan were assessed using the standardized Test of Written Language (TOWL, 4th ed.). Their overall age-adjusted writing scores showed that most were on a par with same-age US peers. The parents’ responses to parental questionnaires revealed that the children’s regular attendance and enjoyment of weekend school, coupled with parental home support and access to plenty of appropriate English reading materials, helped to establish their English literacy. Nevertheless, the children attained different writing scores. Although many performed within the Average range, some scored either in the Above Average or higher range or the Below Average or lower range. Further analysis of these three groups of children revealed a strong relationship between reading practices and writing scores. Better writers tend to read frequently in English; they enjoy reading independently and voluntarily. These findings underscore the importance of recreational reading as an accessible and affordable means for developing home language literacy in bilingual and bicultural children in Japan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends and Future Directions in Bilingual Language Acquisition)
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27 pages, 3061 KiB  
Article
Neural Activation in Bilinguals and Monolinguals Using a Word Identification Task
by Alejandro E. Brice, Christina Salnaitis and Megan K. MacPherson
Languages 2023, 8(3), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8030216 - 14 Sep 2023
Viewed by 2188
Abstract
The study investigated word recognition during neural activation in monolinguals and bilinguals. We specifically examined word retrieval and blood-oxygenation changes in the prefrontal cortex during a code-mixed word recognition task. Participants completed a gating task incorporating monolingual sentences and Spanish-English code-mixed sentences while [...] Read more.
The study investigated word recognition during neural activation in monolinguals and bilinguals. We specifically examined word retrieval and blood-oxygenation changes in the prefrontal cortex during a code-mixed word recognition task. Participants completed a gating task incorporating monolingual sentences and Spanish-English code-mixed sentences while using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure blood-oxygenation changes. Word recognition contained four phonotactic conditions: (1) voiceless initial consonants, (2) voiced initial consonants, (3) CV-tense words, and (4) CV-lax words. Bilingual speakers had word-recognition capabilities similar to monolingual speakers even when identifying English words. Word recognition outcomes suggested that prefrontal cortex functioning is similar for early age of acquisition (AOA) bilinguals and monolinguals when identifying words in both code-mixed and monolingual sentences. Monolingual speakers experienced difficulty with English-voiced consonant sounds; while bilingual speakers experienced difficulties with English-lax vowels. Results suggest that localization of speech perception may be similar for both monolingual and bilingual populations, yet levels of activation differed. Our findings suggest that this parity is due to early age of acquisition (AoA) bilinguals finding a balance of language capabilities (i.e., native-like proficiency) and that in some instances the bilingual speakers processed language in the same areas dedicated to first language processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends and Future Directions in Bilingual Language Acquisition)
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