No description available.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of vocabulary use of seven- to nine-year-old bilingual children with and without language impairment. 74 participants (37 typically developing and 37 language impaired) ranging from age 7;0 to 9;11 years were matched based on age, language dominance and when they first began speaking English. The Test of Narrative Language (TNL) was administered to the participants in English and Spanish. The three oral narratives of the English and Spanish TNL were transcribed and scored. A prototypical word list was derived from 10 high scoring students from the normative data set. Word lists from both the TD and LI participants in English and Spanish were compared to the prototypical word list. Results indicated that the participants produced more prototypical words when telling stories in English than in Spanish. TD participants also produced more prototypical words than LI participants overall. The results have implications for both assessment and intervention and add to our knowledge of word selection in bilingual children with and without LI. / text

The issue of subject pronominal expression (SPE) in language contact situations, as illustrated in Nosotros somos muy buenos estudiantes [‘We are very good students’] vs. Ø somos muy buenos estudiantes [‘(we) are very good students’], has been the focus of decades of research in both variationist and generative studies (Bentivoglio, 1987; Cameron, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996; Chomsky, 1981, 1986; Huang, 1984; Orozco & Guy, 2008; Travis, 2005a, 2005b; Otheguy & Zentella, 2007, 2012; Rizzi, 1982; Morales, 1980; Silva-Corvalán, 1982, 1994, 1997; inter alios). While generative studies have shown that null subject languages (NSLs) can either be licensed by rich verbal paradigms or by discursive mechanisms, variationist studies have shown that there are predictors that condition SPE in NSLs. Furthermore, they have argued that the rates of SPE reflect uniformity across different varieties of Spanish (Orozco, 2015). In spite of this significant body of evidence in monolingual varieties of Spanish, studies involving bilingual groups and indigenous languages are relatively sparse, as most studies have studied Spanish in contact with other Indo-European languages. This dissertation investigates the SPE in the Spanish of a group of highly proficient bilingual speakers of Uwa and Spanish in a language contact situation. The research reported in this dissertation also studies the nature of cross-linguistic influence between the two languages of the bilinguals. Specifically, the idiosyncratic morphosyntactic traces in SPE resulting from the contact between Uwa and Spanish and whether those traces evidence patterns of variation, and, if so, how they can be accounted for. Spanish and Uwa are both NSLs and thus both allow for referential null subject pronouns (SPs). However, each language has specific syntactic and discursive predictors responsible for null subjects. For instance, Uwa relies heavily on discursive clues whereas Spanish is a sentence-oriented language. This means that while in Uwa the subject reference is understood from context and discursive clues governed by chains of topics, the rich verbal paradigm of Spanish is responsible for licensing null subjects. The fact that Spanish and Uwa are both NLs but still have dissimilar typological status provides a rich testing ground for the mechanisms involved in SPE as well as for investigating the effects of bilingualism. This dissertation aims at enhancing our linguistic knowledge in relation to the principles and mechanisms involved in SPE in bilingual communities and at providing a better understanding of the nature of cross-linguistic influence in highly proficient bilinguals.

Theories of lexical storage differ in how entries are encoded in the lexicon. Exemplar-based accounts posit that lexical items are stored with detailed acoustic information, while abstract accounts argue that fine acoustic detail is removed and an item is stored in more basic phonological units. These separate accounts make distinct predictions about cross-linguistic and bilingual perception. Studies asking participants to compare non-native vowels have shown that people tend to associate multiple non-native phonemes to a single L1 phoneme when the contrast between the two does not exist in the L1. However, several studies have shown that the ability to discriminate sounds is never lost. A line of research has focused on how bilinguals perceive contrasts in their second language. One such study, Pallier et al. (2001) looked at early bilinguals of Spanish and Catalan, testing whether the native Spanish speakers, who were highly proficient in Catalan, perceived certain Catalan minimal pairs as homophones. Importantly, the contrasts of these minimal pairs were exclusive to Catalan. The native Spanish bilinguals heard pairs such as /neta/-/nεta/ in an audio-only lexical decision task (LDT), and showed responses to the second item that were not significantly different from actual item repetitions (i.e., /neta/-/neta/). These results were taken as evidence in favor of abstractionist models of lexical storage. This study was based on Pallier et al, (2001), examining instead the perceptions of heritage speakers of Spanish (HSSs) in the U.S., children of native Spanish speakers who get early and sustained exposure to their second language, English. Unlike the bilinguals studied in Pallier et al., heritage bilinguals receive little linguistic or social support for development of their first language. The L1 proficiency of adult heritage bilinguals varies considerably. In this study, a group of these HSSs participated in an LDT testing their perception of English-exclusive phonemic vowel contrasts (i.e., peak-pick). It was hypothesized that, like Pallier et al.'s highly proficient bilinguals, HSSs would show responses to the second item of these minimal pairs as if it were a repetition of the first. Results of the LDT did not confirm the hypothesis. The heritage Spanish speakers did not perform significantly differently from the native English controls on English-specific contrasts (p = .065), and it was found that the native English speakers showed higher priming on these minimal pairs than HSSs. These results run counter to those of previous studies, and may disfavor an abstract account of lexical storage. At the very least, the construct validity of this methodology is questionable when the control and experimental participants reverse hypothesized behavior.

Simultaneous interpretation is a cognitively demanding task involving concurrent listening and speaking in two languages. Successful performance in this task likely relies on a good working memory, which reflects a person’s ability to process and store information simultaneously. The present study used the theoretical construct of working memory to investigate the task of simultaneous interpretation. Twenty student interpreters at two different levels of training in interpreting and sixteen bilinguals with no training in interpreting, all of whom spoke Chinese as a first language and English as a second language, participated in this study. They were compared on their performance for two measures of working memory – reading span and digit span – and on a simultaneous interpretation task. In addition, a translation judgment task and proficiency self-evaluation measures were administered to explore if language proficiency mediates working memory in participants’ L1 (native language) and L2 (second language). This study also examined the relation between working memory and performance in simultaneous interpretation. Results showed that the student interpreters performed better than bilinguals on simultaneous interpretation. Advanced-level student interpreters also outperformed bilinguals on all language versions of the memory span tasks, though first-year student interpreters did not show higher working memory than the bilinguals. Further, performance in simultaneous interpretation was related to working memory in both L1 and L2. Based on the study’s findings, two years of training in interpreting seemed to have a positive effect on improving working memory, whereas one year of training in interpreting did not help to increase working memory. On the other hand, higher language proficiency did not result in high working memory but contributed to better performance in simultaneous interpretation. Working memory, it is concluded, is important but language proficiency in L1 and L2 assumes a more critical role in simultaneous interpretation performance.

While many research studies have examined the early literacy development and experiences of monolingual children (e.g. Clay 1982, 1991, 2001; Dyson, 1984, 1993, 2003), there are few studies that investigate the early literacy development of young emergent bilingual students (Dworin & Moll, 2006; McCarthey et al., 2004; Moll, Saez, Dworin, 2001). Drawing on sociocultural theory (Rogoff, 1990; Vygotsky, 1978), 1995), critical race theory (Ladson-Billings, 1998; Solorzano & Yosso, 2009; Taylor, 2009; Yosso, Villalpando, Delgado Bernal, & Solórzano, 2001) and ethic of care perspectives (Noddings, 1984), this case study examined emergent bilingual students’ writing development during writing workshop in the context of an “English only” official curriculum. Questions guiding the study were: (1) How do emergent bilingual writers participate in writing events? (2) What social, cultural, and linguistic resources do emergent bilingual writers draw upon when engaged in the composing process? and (3) What impact do these resources have on emergent bilingual writers’ understandings of the writing process? Data sources included teacher, student, and parent interviews; field notes and transcripts of focal students' talk and interactions during the whole class mini-lessons and share sessions, individual writing time, and teacher/student writing conferences, and student writing samples. Constant Comparative approach (Charmaz, 2006; Glaser & Strauss, 1965) was used to analyze the data. Findings from this study indicate that emergent bilingual students draw from rich social, cultural, and linguistic repertoires as they write. Findings also indicate that issues of power and agency play out as student position themselves within the group based on language proficiency. On the basis of this study, teachers can support students as they draw upon their rich resources by supporting talk in multiple languages in the classroom. This study also demonstrates how the politics of language education impact young students as they position themselves in the classroom based on access to linguistic resources. Implications for classroom practice include challenging deficit perspectives that fail to view students’ home language and culture as a resource in learning. Teachers can support students as they draw upon their rich resources by encouraging talk and writing in multiple languages in the classroom. Further questions are reasied about English only policies that deny students opportunities to engage in multilingual practices as they learn to read and write in classroom settings.

Doctor of Philosophy / Despite the number of bilinguals and speakers of English and Mandarin worldwide, up till now there have been no investigations of stuttering in any of the Chinese languages, or in bilinguals who speak both English and Mandarin. Hence, it is not known whether stuttering behavior in Mandarin mimics that in English, or whether speech restructuring techniques such as Prolonged Speech produce the same fluency outcomes in Mandarin speakers as they do for English speakers. Research into stuttering in bilinguals is available but far from adequate. Although the limited extant studies show that bilinguals who stutter (BWS) may stutter either the same or differently across languages, and that treatment effects in one language can automatically carry over to the other language, it is unclear whether these findings are influenced by factors such as language dominance or language structure. These issues need to be clarified because speech language pathologists (SLPs) who work with bilinguals often do not speak the dominant language of their clients. Thus, the language of assessment and treatment becomes an important clinical consideration. The aim of this thesis was to investigate (a) whether the severity and type of stuttering was different in English and Mandarin in English-Mandarin bilingual adults, (b) whether this difference was influenced by language dominance, (c) whether stuttering reductions in English generalized to Mandarin following treatment in English only, and (d) whether treatment generalization was influenced by language dominance. To achieve these aims, a way of establishing the dominant language in bilinguals was a necessary first step. The first part of this thesis reviews the disorder of stuttering and the treatment for adults who stutter, the differences between English and Chinese languages, and stuttering in bilinguals. Part Two of this thesis describes the development of a tool for determining language dominance in a multilingual Asian population such as that found in Singapore. This study reviews the complex issues involved in assessing language dominance. It presents the rationale for and description of a self-report classification tool for identifying the dominant language in English-Mandarin bilingual Singaporeans. The decision regarding language dominance was based on a predetermined set of criteria using self-report questionnaire data on language proficiency, frequency of language use, and domain of language use. The tool was administered to 168 English-Mandarin bilingual participants, and the self-report data were validated against the results of a discriminant analysis. The discriminant analysis revealed a reliable three-way classification into English-dominant, Mandarin-dominant, and balanced bilinguals. Scores on a single word receptive vocabulary test supported these dominance classifications. Part Three of this thesis contains two studies investigating stuttering in BWS. The second study of this thesis examined the influence of language dominance on the manifestation of stuttering in English-Mandarin BWS. Results are presented for 30 English-Mandarin BWS who were divided according to their bilingual classification group: 15 English-dominant, four Mandarin-dominant, and 11 balanced bilinguals. All participants underwent comprehensive speech evaluations in both languages. The English-dominant and Mandarin-dominant BWS were found to exhibit greater stuttering in their less dominant language, whereas the balanced bilinguals evidenced similar levels of stuttering in both languages. An analysis of the types of stutter using the Lidcombe Behavioral Data Language showed no significant differences between English and Mandarin for all bilingual groups. In the third study of this thesis, the influence of language dominance on the generalization of stuttering reductions from English to Mandarin was investigated. Results are provided for seven English-dominant, three Mandarin-dominant, and four balanced bilinguals who underwent a Smooth Speech intensive program in English only. A comparison of stuttering between their pretreatment scores and three posttreatment interval scores indicated that the degree of fluency transfer from the treated to the untreated language was disproportionate. English-dominant and Mandarin-dominant participants showed greater fluency improvement in their dominant language even if this language was not directly treated. In the final chapter, Part Four, a hypothesis is provided to explain the findings of this thesis. A discussion of the limitations of the thesis and suggestions for future research are also presented. The chapter concludes with a summary of the main contributions that this thesis makes to the field of stuttering in bilinguals.

Doctor of Philosophy / Despite the number of bilinguals and speakers of English and Mandarin worldwide, up till now there have been no investigations of stuttering in any of the Chinese languages, or in bilinguals who speak both English and Mandarin. Hence, it is not known whether stuttering behavior in Mandarin mimics that in English, or whether speech restructuring techniques such as Prolonged Speech produce the same fluency outcomes in Mandarin speakers as they do for English speakers. Research into stuttering in bilinguals is available but far from adequate. Although the limited extant studies show that bilinguals who stutter (BWS) may stutter either the same or differently across languages, and that treatment effects in one language can automatically carry over to the other language, it is unclear whether these findings are influenced by factors such as language dominance or language structure. These issues need to be clarified because speech language pathologists (SLPs) who work with bilinguals often do not speak the dominant language of their clients. Thus, the language of assessment and treatment becomes an important clinical consideration. The aim of this thesis was to investigate (a) whether the severity and type of stuttering was different in English and Mandarin in English-Mandarin bilingual adults, (b) whether this difference was influenced by language dominance, (c) whether stuttering reductions in English generalized to Mandarin following treatment in English only, and (d) whether treatment generalization was influenced by language dominance. To achieve these aims, a way of establishing the dominant language in bilinguals was a necessary first step. The first part of this thesis reviews the disorder of stuttering and the treatment for adults who stutter, the differences between English and Chinese languages, and stuttering in bilinguals. Part Two of this thesis describes the development of a tool for determining language dominance in a multilingual Asian population such as that found in Singapore. This study reviews the complex issues involved in assessing language dominance. It presents the rationale for and description of a self-report classification tool for identifying the dominant language in English-Mandarin bilingual Singaporeans. The decision regarding language dominance was based on a predetermined set of criteria using self-report questionnaire data on language proficiency, frequency of language use, and domain of language use. The tool was administered to 168 English-Mandarin bilingual participants, and the self-report data were validated against the results of a discriminant analysis. The discriminant analysis revealed a reliable three-way classification into English-dominant, Mandarin-dominant, and balanced bilinguals. Scores on a single word receptive vocabulary test supported these dominance classifications. Part Three of this thesis contains two studies investigating stuttering in BWS. The second study of this thesis examined the influence of language dominance on the manifestation of stuttering in English-Mandarin BWS. Results are presented for 30 English-Mandarin BWS who were divided according to their bilingual classification group: 15 English-dominant, four Mandarin-dominant, and 11 balanced bilinguals. All participants underwent comprehensive speech evaluations in both languages. The English-dominant and Mandarin-dominant BWS were found to exhibit greater stuttering in their less dominant language, whereas the balanced bilinguals evidenced similar levels of stuttering in both languages. An analysis of the types of stutter using the Lidcombe Behavioral Data Language showed no significant differences between English and Mandarin for all bilingual groups. In the third study of this thesis, the influence of language dominance on the generalization of stuttering reductions from English to Mandarin was investigated. Results are provided for seven English-dominant, three Mandarin-dominant, and four balanced bilinguals who underwent a Smooth Speech intensive program in English only. A comparison of stuttering between their pretreatment scores and three posttreatment interval scores indicated that the degree of fluency transfer from the treated to the untreated language was disproportionate. English-dominant and Mandarin-dominant participants showed greater fluency improvement in their dominant language even if this language was not directly treated. In the final chapter, Part Four, a hypothesis is provided to explain the findings of this thesis. A discussion of the limitations of the thesis and suggestions for future research are also presented. The chapter concludes with a summary of the main contributions that this thesis makes to the field of stuttering in bilinguals.

Recently, researchers have begun to use syntactic priming to investigate the mental representation of the two languages of bilinguals and their accessibility during comprehension and production (e.g. Bernolet, et al, 2007). In the syntactic priming technique, a priming sentence is presented to elicit a structurally similar target response, when an alternative structure is also available. Previous studies, which focused mainly on the L2 syntactic priming effects of dative structures, found priming effects when the target L2 structure is similar to the L1 but not when they are dissimilar (e.g. Branigan, 2007). The present study investigated priming effects on the English L2 production of relative clauses by 18 Advanced adult Japanese-English bilingual speakers, using a modified version of Bock's (1986) sentence-repetition and picture-description task. It was predicted that the cross-linguistic differences between Japanese and English could potentially influence their L2 production. Experiment 1 comprised three prime-types (Full-relatives, Reduced-relatives, and simple actives) in English. Experiment 2 contained two Prime-types (Full-relatives and simple actives) in Japanese. In both experiments, the target responses were in English. Repeated-measures two-factor ANOVAs was used to test for Main and Interaction effects of Prime Type and Response Type on the mean proportion of responses in each Response Type category. The results of both Experiment 1 (L2-to-L2) and Experiment 2 (L1-to-L2) indicated a significant main effect of Response Type; in both experiments, the participants preferred Simple Actives for picture-description regardless of Prime type. As for the interaction between Prime Type and Response Type, significant results were obtained only in the case of Experiment 1, where the directionality was from L2 prime to L2 response, but not in the case of Experiment 2 (Japanese-to-English). Specifically, in Experiment 1, the participants used Reduced-Relatives more often in the Reduced-Relative clause priming conditions than in the Full-Relatives and the Simple Active condition. The findings bolster the position that the L1 mental representation and the L2 mental representation of complex structures are separate, particularly when a bilingual speaker's two languages are typologically different, as in the case of Japanese and English. The findings also indicate that the L1 mental representation is not accessed during L2 production.

This study uses ethnographic tools to document the multiple literacy practices of two Mayan families living in a rural community in Yucatan, Mexico. It explores how young emergent bilingual children make sense of written language through their everyday practices. Data includes field notes from participants observations, video and audio recordings and literacy samples collected during fieldwork. The literacy events extracted from the data were analyzed in terms of the communicative function written language serves, the use of linguistic resources, and particular ways of socialization within literacy events. The findings of this study challenge public discourses which define marginalized children and their families as deficient. Literacy is part of the everyday life activities of minoritiezed families and these experiences provide their children with vast amounts of literacy knowledge. Through the two case studies presented, we document how different language and literacy practices shape children's different pathways to bilingualism and biliteracy.