Learning in Two Languages by Bilingual Children With and Without Language Impairment

项目摘要/摘要 双语是世界大部分地区的常态，甚至在单语很常见的美国也是如此， 在5岁以上的人中，至少有22%的人在家中会说英语以外的语言。然而，我们仍然没有 知道如何最佳地构建语言环境，以产生双语儿童的最佳语言结果。 在目前的提案中，我们的目标是通过考察双语的影响来回答这个基本问题 语言能力水平波动的西语-英语双语儿童词汇学习的输入。特定的 目的一是考察双语输入对新词学习的影响。在这些实验中，我们将 对比单一语言学习(仅限英语)和双语学习(西班牙语和英语) 不同类型的双语输入，适用于不同的单词类型。具体目标2是检查以下因素的影响 双语输入对新词整合的影响。在这些实验中，我们将使用眼球跟踪来测试 新习得的新词与语言内部和跨语言的熟词形成了互动的动力。 具体目标3是考察在双重任务下语言能力与新词学习的关系 语言条件。为此，我们会招募具备全面语言能力的双语儿童。 -从典型的英语和西班牙语技能到两种语言的薄弱技能(即语言障碍)。这 策略将使我们能够将语言能力视为一个连续体，并检验它如何预测新词学习 以及在目标1和目标2下提出的所有实验的整合。我们假设双语 对于语言能力较弱的孩子来说，输入可能特别具有挑战性，并预计这种关系 语言能力和单词学习结果之间的差异将因不同类型的双语输入而异 不同的单词类型。最终，我们将能够说明，语言技能较弱的儿童是否会更加挣扎 与从双语学习中输入的孩子相比，孩子具有较强的语言技能，产出实用 给家长、临床医生和教育工作者的建议。总而言之，我们的发现将具有明确的实用性 后果和深远的理论后果。目前，对养育双语儿童的父母的建议 对于有语言障碍的人来说，最佳的语言暴露是基于直觉而不是固体 经验性证据。目前的提议是朝着建立以经验为基础的 有语言障碍和无语言障碍的双语儿童的最佳语言输入指南。在 在理论层面上，语码转换的研究一直是双语领域的核心，我们知道一个很大的 讨论双语者转换语言的过程。然而，我们对此知之甚少。 不同的语言转换方式会影响孩子的学习能力。通过关注学习过程 就其本身而言，拟议的项目可以为语码转换文献提供重要信息，同时 时间揭示了双语输入如何塑造词汇学习。

Project Summary/Abstract Bilingualism is the norm for much of the world, and even in the United States, where monolingualism is common, at least 22% of individuals over age 5 speak a language other than English at home. However, we still do not know how to best structure the language environment to yield optimal language outcomes in bilingual children. In the current proposal, we aim to answer this fundamental question by examining the effect of dual language input on word learning in Spanish-English bilingual children with fluctuating levels of language ability. Specific Aim 1 is to examine the effect of dual language input on novel word learning. In these experiments we will contrast learning from single-language (English only) vs. dual language exposure (Spanish and English) across different types of dual-language input and for different word types. Specific Aim 2 is to examine the effect of dual language input on novel word consolidation. In these experiments, we will use eye-tracking to test whether newly-learned novel words enter into interactive dynamics with known words within and across languages. Specific Aim 3 is to examine the relationship between language ability and novel word learning under dual- language conditions. We will do so by recruiting bilingual children who occupy the full range of language abilities - from typical skills in both English and Spanish to weak skills in both languages (i.e., language impairment). This strategy will enable us to treat language ability as a continuum and to examine how it predicts novel word learning and consolidation across all experiments proposed under Aims 1 and 2. We hypothesize that dual-language input may be particularly challenging for children with weak language skills, and expect that the relationship between language ability and word-learning outcomes will vary across different types of dual-language input and different word types. Ultimately, we will be able to state whether children with weak language skills struggle more with learning from dual-language input than children with strong language skills, yielding practical recommendations for parents, clinicians, and educators. Together, our findings will have clear-cut practical consequences and far-reaching theoretical ramifications. Currently, advice to parents raising bilingual children with language impairment regarding the optimal language exposure is based on intuition rather than on solid empirical evidence. The current proposal represents the first step towards establishing empirically-grounded guidelines regarding optimal language input for bilingual children with and without language impairment. At the theoretical level, the study of code-switching has been central to the field of bilingualism, and we know a great deal about the process by which bilinguals switch languages. However, we know very little about how the different ways of switching languages influence children’s ability to learn. By focusing on the learning process itself, the proposed project can contribute vital information to the code-switching literature, while at the same time shedding light on how dual language input may shape lexical learning.