Poster #47 - Exploring Effects of Number of Language Speakers on Bilingual Children’s English-Spanish Vocabulary

• In Event: Poster Session 15

Abstract

Early dual language development is subject to multiple influences, including the age of exposure to each language, the amount of exposure, and parental characteristics (Place & Hoff, 2016). After accounting for these factors, however, dual language outcomes continue to exhibit substantial variability across children. One factor that has been understudied is the number of different input sources (i.e., speakers) in each language. A previous study revealed that English-Spanish bilingual children exposed to more English speakers had higher English vocabularies, even after controlling for the relative amount of exposure to English (Place & Hoff, 2011). The authors hypothesized that exposure to variability in the input (by having different speakers) may be beneficial for learning speech categories and fostering word recognition and production. However, because the absolute amount of input in each language was not measured in this study, the effect of number of speakers could be alternatively explained by amount of input, whereby children exposed to more English speakers may have heard more English speech. The present study will more rigorously test the hypothesis that the number of different speakers of a language influences bilingual vocabulary development by using day-long audio recordings of children in bilingual environments.

Drawing from a larger study of English-Spanish bilingual children, the present study (n=30) will use measures collected at 24 months. Parents complete an interview about their child’s language exposure using the Language Exposure Analysis Tool (LEAT), and report on their child’s vocabulary knowledge on the English/Spanish versions of the MacArthur-Bates CDI. Lastly, families complete a day-long audio recording using a LENA digital recorder. The number of different speakers of English/Spanish that children are exposed to will be derived from the LEAT. To estimate the amount of English/Spanish speech to which children are exposed, we will perform manual annotations of 5-minute segments sampled from the daylong recordings (see Cychosz et al., 2021). The number of child-directed words in the segments, multiplied by the annotated % English/Spanish exposure, will yield an estimated amount of English/Spanish speech exposure.

Our primary analysis will consist of two multiple regressions predicting 1) English, and 2) Spanish vocabulary. The predictors will be a) the number of different English/Spanish speakers, and b) the amount of exposure to English/Spanish. We expect to observe a positive relation between the amount of child-directed speech (CDS) in English/Spanish and vocabulary scores in the respective language. We also expect a positive relation between the number of speakers in each language and child vocabulary in that language, after controlling for amount of CDS. Alternatively, it is possible that the relation between number of speakers and child vocabulary will be mediated by the amount of CDS in each language. Finally, we will aim to replicate previous findings by substituting relative exposure, rather than absolute exposure, to English/Spanish, in the regressions above.

Findings from this analysis will refine our understanding of the factors that predict bilingual children’s language development, particularly the influence of number of speakers. This may help guide programs and policies that seek to foster children’s bilingualism.

Authors

• Josselin Martinez, Northwestern University
  Presenting Author

• Marcela Cruz, Northwestern University

• Adriana Weisleder, Northwestern University