Poster #44 - Code-Switching Behavior Predicts Language Attrition in Dual-Language-Learning Children

• In Event: Poster Session 08

Abstract

In our globalized world, multilingualism is (becoming) a desirable characteristic not only associated with cognitive benefits and adaptive communication strategies, but also with advantages in the work-environment (Fox et al., 2019). However, dual-language-learning children often seem to struggle to achieve high-level competence in both of their languages and typically experience a dominance shift toward the societal language as a result of high exposure to the respective in educational contexts (Dubiel & Gulifoyle, 2017). At the same time, the heritage-language input from the family environment decreases, leading to reduced opportunities of heritage-language learning and, in extreme cases, to language attrition (De Houwer, 2020). To outweigh the benefits of multilingualism in the long term, it is necessary to identify unfavorable language development in dual-language-learning children at an early stage. Here, the unique phenomenon of switching back and forth between two languages, so-called code-switching (Poplack, 2001), could be of diagnostic importance. In this study, we seek to comprehend to what extent code-switching can be indicative for underlying dual-language abilities, and whether code-switching is further predictive for subsequent dual-language development during the sensitive phase of language development in early childhood. The studied 107 dual-language-learning preschoolers (age-range = 32-78 months; 45% girls) grow up in Switzerland and Germany with either German or French as the societal language and Italian or Turkish as the heritage language. Expressive language abilities in both of a child’s languages were assessed at three measurement time points with parallelized and standardized language tests. Children’s code-switching from the societal to the heritage language and vice versa was based on questionnaire-based parental reports at the first measurement time point. The cross-sectional results revealed children’s code-switching behavior to be indicative for their current language abilities. Switches from the societal to the heritage language represented weak underlying societal-language (b = -0.43; p < .001) and high underlying heritage-language (b = 0.64; p < .001) competences. The reversed pattern was shown for switches from the heritage to the societal language which indicate weak underlying heritage-language (b = -0.58; p < .001) and high underlying societal-language (b = 0.57; p < .001) abilities. In longitudinal growth curve models, no predictive value for later expressive societal-language abilities was found neither for switches from the societal to the heritage language nor vice versa (all ps > .10). However, stronger growth in heritage-language abilities was predicted by former frequent switches from the societal to the heritage language (b = 0.03; p = .02). In turn, decelerated growth in expressive heritage-language abilities was predicted by former frequent switches from the heritage to the societal language (b = -0.04; p = .01), this was especially apparent in older children. Findings suggest that code-switching is an accurate indicator of children’s current underlying competences in both languages. Moreover, frequent code-switching behavior seems to predict later heritage-language development, while code-switching is not predictive for the later societal-language development. Frequent code-switching behavior as an early and easily observable marker of an unfavorable later heritage-language development might be of interest to prevent young children from heritage-language attrition.

Authors

• Leila Teresa Schächinger Tenés, University of Basel, Switzerland
  Presenting Author

• Jessica Carolyn Weiner, University of Basel

• Alexander Grob, University of Basel

• Robin Klaus Segerer, University of Basel