Poster #36 - Cross-Language Interrelations of Phonemic-Processing Development and Vocabulary Learning in Dual-Language-Learning Preschoolers

• In Event: Poster Session 20

Abstract

Vocabulary learning and vocabulary growth is contingent on a child’s linguistic experience but is also impacted by how children make sense of auditory input and store language input in memory (Durgunoglu & Öney, 2000; Gathercole, 2006). Children acquire vocabulary by perceiving small language units—so-called phonemes—combining them to full words and matching them appropriately to concepts (Storkel, 2002). Young dual-language-learners (DLLs) face a challenge compared to monolingual peers to experience language-input and language-use within two separate languages. On the one hand, this leads to context-specific vocabulary learning with acquired concepts and words in one language but likely not simultaneously in another (Mendez et al., 2014). On the other hand, DLL acquire a wide range of phonemes due to their received dual-language input (Hoff, 2018). Although children’s phoneme processing skills and their vocabulary learning are thought to be closely intertwined, there exists a knowledge gap regarding the temporal ordering of DLL-preschoolers’ emerging vocabulary and phonemic-processing development. Notwithstanding, owing to the input of two languages, DLL-children’s vocabulary is frequently benefited by cross-language transfer (Maier et al., 2016): Gains in vocabulary-knowledge in one language have the potential to bolster vocabulary and phonemic-processing development in another language building on intricate phonemic-processing and phonological awareness skills (Metsala & Walley, 1998; McBride-Chang et al., 2008). However, to what extent cross-language transfer in terms of vocabulary knowledge together with phonemic-processing exist remains unclear.
The overarching aim of this study is to examine the interactive nature of phonemic-processing and vocabulary development in DLL-children’s societal-(SLA) and heritage-(HLA)-language, as well as the impact of potential respective cross-language transfer effects. It is of particular interest to investigate children at an age where vocabulary is rapidly developing and phonemic-processing sensitivity is gradually increasing (Nittrouer, 2021). Further, we anticipate ‘phonemic-processing’ – ‘vocabulary-learning’ interrelations to be impacted by SLA-/HLA-exposure: Higher exposure-rates to a particular language likely result in better vocabulary learning, which ought to be interrelate with same-language phonemic-processing. Yet, as knowledge in one language can support learning in another, we anticipate that acquired skills in the higher-exposure-language will positively impact later corresponding skills within the lower-exposure-language of a DLL-preschooler.
Using random-intercept cross-lagged-panel modelling (RI-CLPM; Mund & Nestler, 2018), developmental trajectories for phonemic-processing and productive-vocabulary-skills will be examined in both SLA and HLA across three time-points over a period of ~18 months. RI-CLPM represents an extension of the traditional CLPM-approach and allows controlling for stable person-based factors (e.g., language exposure) when estimating cross-lagged effects.
Data stems from an ongoing study with approximately N~80 DLL-preschoolers who grow up speaking German or French as SLA together with Turkish or Italian as HLA. Productive-vocabulary skills in both languages are assessed with parallelized and standardized language-tests at three measurement time points. Children’s phonemic-processing abilities are examined using a child-friendly language-specific phoneme-discrimination-task in the SLA and HLA, respectively, at all three measurement time points. Additionally, data on SLA/HLA language exposure is collected based on parental reports.
Findings are expected to enhance our understanding of cross-language transfer effects in incipient DLL-preschoolers and to disentangle interrelation effects between phonemic-processing and vocabulary-learning.

Group Authors

Weiner-Bühler, J. C., Schächinger Tenés, L. T., Grob, A., & Segerer, R. K.

Authors

• Jessica Carolyn Weiner, University of Basel
  Presenting Author

• Leila Teresa Schächinger Tenés, University of Basel, Switzerland

• Alexander Grob, University of Basel

• Robin Klaus Segerer, University of Basel