Bilingual Language Acquisition & Development HS135 PDF

Bilingual Language Acquisition & Development HS135 January 2025 Dr Shamala Sundaray School of Health and Social Care Speech and Language Therapy [email protected] Learning outcomes By the end of this lecture, students should be a...

Bilingual Language Acquisition & Development HS135 January 2025 Dr Shamala Sundaray School of Health and Social Care Speech and Language Therapy [email protected] Learning outcomes By the end of this lecture, students should be able to: Identify the differences and similarities between monolingual and bilingual language development Appreciate the variability in language acquisition settings and the effect on language development Recognise bilingual language development in young children and ageing adults Develop better understanding of bilingualism Understand the on-going debate on bilingualism effects on cognition BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 2 BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 3 Monolingual First Language Acquisition (MFLA) - quick overview (Source: Hoff, 2013, p.6) BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 4 Variability in Language Acquisition Infant/Child-directed speech (Input) IDS/CDS (‘parentese’/’motherese’) - higher pitch with exaggerated intonation, short utterances, repetitions some parents talk more, others less to their infants. Speak more clearly or less Do more reading (or not) Socio-economic status Culturally-driven Quantity and quality of IDS/CDS have an impact on language learning process More social interactions  higher output “Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic” (WEIRD) vs non-WEIRD BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 5 BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 6 Defining Bilingualism Bilingualism is the use of two or more languages. Multilingualism is the use of more than 2 languages. Current literature tends to use the terms bilingualism and multilingualism interchangeably. Bilinguals do not need to have acquired all their languages since birth. Competent users of their home language and their L2 can be considered bilinguals. More than 50% of the world are bilinguals; found in almost all countries. (Grosjean & Li, 2013) BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 7 Complexity in Language Input Situations where children can become bilinguals Exposure to two (or more) languages from birth = Bilingual First Language Acquisition (BFLA) Learning 2 (or more) first languages Learning Language A & Language Alpha Frequently referred to as ‘Simultaneous Bilingualism’ Home language versus societal language Societal language exposure at early childhood (childcare/pre- school) – Early Second Language Acquisition (ESLA) Learning Language 1 and later Language 2 ‘Sequential bilingualism’ Learning an additional language as an L2 in middle childhood – Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Learning spoken language & sign language – Bimodal bilingualism (De Houwer, 2021; https://vimeo.com/415653440 ) BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 8 Language Input Contexts (adapted from De Houwer, https://vimeo.com/415653440 ) BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 9  Bilingual Learning Settings Infancy – up to around age 2; early childhood – up to age 6 (toddlers, pre- schoolers); middle childhood – to about age 11 De Houwer, 2021, p. 2 BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 10 BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 11 Infant/child-directed speech in a bilingual setting In the case of bilingual babies - BFLA Lang 123 Lack of evidence to show IDS differs between monolingual Lang Lang A and bilingual families Alpha Quantity and quality of speech heard in each language directly impacts language development in that language (Sander-Montant et al., 2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 68rP2-ecPDM BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 12  First year of life (pre- verbal) in BFLA setting Some studies suggest a temporary decline in phonetic perception Other studies suggest the same acquisition trajectory as monolingual infants Why? We receive differing quantity & quality of IDS. Plus, we make sure researchers don’t have it easy getting BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 13 info out of us! BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 14  First year of life in BFLA setting Bilingual infants still discriminate the speech sounds across languages during the time that monolingual infants have begun limiting the perception to the phonemes of their native language. Source: Ferjan Ramirez et al. 2017 BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 15  Beyond the first year in BFLA Similar trajectory as monolinguals when it comes to vocabulary and grammar development I started babbling around 6 months old, just like my monolingual cousin. By the time ba ba ma ma I turn one, I would be able to say my first word. BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 16  Beyond the first year in BFLA Smaller vocabulary size for each language Seem to be behind monolinguals when measured against a single language When both languages are taken into account - vocabulary size is same or bigger than monolinguals Quantity and quality of speech heard in each language is directly correlated to language development in THAT language. Learn two phonological systems  increases phonological awareness; phonological awareness skills transferable between language systems in bilinguals (Ferjan Ramírez et al., 2020 ; Ferjan Ramirez & Kuhl, 2016; Luk & Bialystok, 2008) BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 17 Overall Bilingual Language Acquisition No delay in language learning and development. Removing one language from the equation does NOT boost development in the other. “Learning one language can facilitate acquisition of another” (Ferjan Ramirez & Kuhl, 2016, p.6; Bialystok, 2001). Bilingual toddlers exhibit greater flexibility when learning additional terms/words for previously learned objects. BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 18 Possible Language Patterns in Neurotypical BFLA over 1;6 years old Comprehe Comprehe Produces Produces nds nds Language Language Language Language A Alpha A Alpha Pattern 1 Yes Yes Yes Yes Pattern 2 Yes Yes Yes No (adapted from De Houwer, https://vimeo.com/415653440 ) The same child can move from pattern 1 to pattern 2 or vice versa e.g. migrating to a country where one of the languages is not available and less opportunities to use it -BLAmay & Devt even lead to language attrition. Dr Shamala Sundaray 19 Possible Language Patterns in Neurotypical ESLA over 3 years old Comprehe Comprehe Produces Produces nds nds Language Language Language Language 1 2 1 2 Pattern 1 Yes Yes Yes Yes Pattern 2 Yes Yes Yes No Pattern 3 Yes No Yes from De Houwer, (adapted Yes https://vimeo.com/415653440 ) pattern 2 – might not have reached the level of competency to produce Pattern 3 – migration could be a reason BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 20 Silent Period? “After ESLA children have developed some level of L2 understanding, some gradually start to speak the L2 a little, but only in short formulae and in one- to two-word utterances (Itoh & Hatch, 1978). Other ESLA children soon start to speak the L2 a lot and quite well. Yet others do not speak the L2 even after 2 years (or longer) in preschool (Thompson, 2000). This “silent period” is often considered a “natural” and inevitable phenomenon of ESLA, but it is not. Young children who go through a very long “silent period” in the L2 are not doing well at a socio-emotional level.” De Houwer, 2021, p. 31 BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 21  Language in BILINGUAL older adults Similar issues as monolinguals e.g. problems with lexical retrieval Bilinguals showed slower (picture) naming for low frequency words in L1 than monolinguals, but there was no significant difference between young and older adult bilinguals. (Gollan et al., 2011) WHY? “poorer syntactic processing” compared to monolinguals across, but no age-related difference (Fernandes et al., p.27 (pre-print)) No semantic processing difference between old monolinguals and old bilinguals; old adults in fact were better than younger adults (Fernandes et al., p.27 (pre-print) Regardless of L1 or L2, old bilinguals were as fast and accurate in conventional metaphor processing as the young bilinguals, BLA & Devt whereas old monolinguals 22 Dr Shamala Sundaray  Bilingualism & Cognition more brain activation in bilingual children for dominant language (Conboy & Mills, 2006) higher levels of brain tissue density in areas linked to language, executive functions and memory The earlier the start of bilingualism, the denser the brain tissue. Increased metacognitive & metalinguistics skills BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 23 Bilingualism & Cognition Some studies have found a bilingual advantage - e.g. better executive functioning (switching, inhibition and updating) (Bialystok et al., 2014) Others have not found this bilingual cognitive advantage (Hilchey & Klein, 2011; Kousaie & Phillips, 2012) Conflicting findings due to the heterogeneity of bilinguals BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 24 Bilingualism, Cognition & Ageing bilingualism may contribute to better cognitive abilities, and delay the onset of dementia (Alladi et al., 2013, 2017) a number of studies have shown bilingualism attenuating cognitive decline associated with aging (Bialystok, Craik, Klein & Viswanathan, 2004; Luk et al. 2011) bilinguals possess superior cognitive abilities than monolinguals even as they get older (Bialystok, Craik, and Ryan 2006). Bilingual advantage present ONLY for older adults (aged 60 & above) (Salvatierra & Rosselli, 2010) BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 25  Bilingualism, Cognition & Ageing PASA = posterior-to- anterior shift in ageing (Grant et al., 2014, p.5) BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 26  Where does the cognitive advantage come from? Source: Olulade et al., 2016, p.3199; https://knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2018/how- second-language-can-boost-brain Some studies suggest that because bilinguals have to inhibit one language as they use another and codeswitch a lot, they have better executive functions etc. BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 27 Implications for Clinical Practice Dr Kathy Kohnert: Bilingual Language Development https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN RqJo9niFY With special thanks to BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray Sai Bangera. 28 Implications for Clinical Practice Support for bilinguals should be embedded in SaLT provision/SaLT services Find out which additional languages are spoken around your place of work Engage in discussions openly and avoid making assumptions Be sensitive to cultural differences e.g., eye contact, therapy materials Adapt resources (audio and visual) in home languages to facilitate understanding Seek advice/guidance whenever needed (refer to RCSLT guidelines BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 29 Supporting bilingual individuals across the lifespan Adapting your service provision for any clinical population in any setting Bilingual child on the autism spectrum Bilingual person with aphasia Bilingual person who stammers Bilingual young person with DLD RCSLT and NICE guidelines (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance) on bilingualism therapy in home language Working with bilingual co-workers Working with interpreters https://www.rcslt.org/wp-content/uploads/media/Bilingualis m-CEN_Telehealth-Interpreters-Guidelines.pdf?la=en&hash =A104924063089176316A431174491CF956F3E27F BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 30 YOUR Legal Responsibility RCSLT clinical guidelines (2018) – “If your service has a local population of 5-10% from CLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) background, it should have a post for a speech and language therapist with a special interest in bilingualism….” “Working with interpreters is a core skill for SLTs and their responsibility to use their services under the Equality Act (2010)” – RCSLT “Services should allocate at least double the time for bilingual clients and their families in order to achieve the same positive outcomes as monolingual clients, and therefore deliver an equitable service” – RCSLT Equality Act (2010) https://www.hcpc-uk.org/about-us/corporate-governanc e/policies/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/ BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 31 RCSLT e-learning tool https://www.rcsltcpd.org.uk/courses/ working-with-bilingual-children/ Please register with RCSLT (if you haven’t already) to access this course. Please aim to complete this course by the end of the summer term in preparation for BSc Year 2. BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 32 Post-lecture activity Read the following articles available on Moodle and complete the activity on Moodle: Byers-Heinlein, K., & Lew-Williams, C. (2013). Bilingualism in the early years: What the science says. LEARNing Landscapes, 7(1), 95–112. https://doi.org/10.36510/learnland.v7i1.632 Grosjean, F. (2012). Bilingualism: A short introduction. In F. Grosjean & P. Li (Eds.), The psycholinguistics of bilingualism (pp. 5–25). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Psycholinguistics+of +Bilingualism-p9781444332797 BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 33  References Alladi, S., Bak, T. H., Duggirala, V., Surampudi, B., Shailaja, M., Shukla, A. K., Chaudhuri, J. R., & Kaul, S. (2013). Bilingualism delays age at onset of dementia, independent of education and immigration status. Neurology, 81(22), 1938 LP – 1944. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000436620.33155.a4 Alladi, S., Bak, T. H., Shailaja, M., Gollahalli, D., Rajan, A., Surampudi, B., Hornberger, M., Duggirala, V., Chaudhuri, J. R., & Kaul, S. (2017). Bilingualism delays the onset of behavioral but not aphasic forms of frontotemporal dementia. Neuropsychologia, 99(March), 207–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.03.021 Bialystok, E., Craik, F.I.M., Klein, R. & Viswanathan, M. (2004). Bilingualism, aging, and cognitive control: evidence from the Simon task. Psychology and Aging, 19 (2), 290-303. Blumenfeld, H.K. & Marian, V. (2011). Bilingualism influences inhibitory control in auditory comprehension. Cognition, 118, 245-257. Cristia, A., Dupoux, E., Gurven, M., & Stieglitz, J. (2019). Child-Directed Speech Is Infrequent in a Forager-Farmer Population: A Time Allocation Study. Child Development, 90(3), 759–773. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12974 De Houwer, A. (2021). Bilingual Development in Childhood (Elements in Child Development). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108866002 De Houwer, A. (2022). HaBilNet Class 1: Trajectories for Early Bilingualism, https://vimeo.com/415653440 Ferjan Ramírez, N., Ramírez, R. R., Clarke, M., Taulu, S., & Kuhl, P. K. (2017). Speech discrimination in 11-month-old bilingual and monolingual infants: a magnetoencephalography study. Developmental Science, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12427 Ferjan Ramirez, N. F., & Kuhl, P. K. (2016). Bilingual Language Learning in Children. Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, 10. http://ilabs.uw.edu/Bilingual_Language_Learning_in_Children.pdf BLA & Devt Dr Shamala Sundaray 34 Ferjan Ramírez, N. F., Lytle, S. R., & Kuhl, P. K. (2020). Parent coaching increases  References Gollan TH, Slattery TJ, Goldenberg D, Van Assche E, Duyck W, Rayner K (2011). Frequency drives lexical access in reading but not in speaking: the frequency-lag hypothesis J Exp Psychol Gen 2011 May;140(2):186-209 doi: 101037/a0022256 Grant, A., Dennis, N. A., & Li, P. (2014). Cognitive control, cognitive reserve, and memory in the aging bilingual brain. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(DEC), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01401 Grosjean, F., & Li, P.(2013). The psycholinguistics of bilingualism. Wiley-Blackwell/John Wiley & Sons. Hoff, E. (2015). Language development in bilingual children. In E. Bavin & L. Naigles (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Child Language (Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics, pp. 483-503). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781316095829.022 Hilchey, M.D. & Klein, R.M. (2011) Are there bilingual advantages on nonlinguistic interference tasks? Implications for the plasticity of executive control processes. Psychon Bull Rev, 18, 625-658. Kousaie, S. & Phillips, N.A. (2012). Ageing and bilingualism: Absence of a “bilingual advantage” in Stroop interference in a nonimmigrant sample. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 65(2), 356-369. Luk, G., Bialystok, E., Craik, F.I.M., & Grady, C.L. (2011). Lifelong bilingualism maintains white matter integrity in older adults. The Journal of Neuroscience, 31 (46), 16808-16813. Olulade, O. A., Jamal, N. I., Koo, D. S., Perfetti, C. A., LaSasso, C., & Eden, G. F. (2016). Neuroanatomical evidence in support of the bilingual advantage theory. Cerebral Cortex, 26(7), 3196–3204. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhv152 Salvatierra, J.L. & Rosselli, M. (2010). The effect of bilingualism and age in inhibitory control. International Journal of Bilingualism, 15 (1), 26-37. Sander-Montant, BLA & Devt A., López Pérez, M., & DrByers-Heinlein, Shamala SundarayK. (2023). The more they hear the 35more they learn? Using data from bilinguals to test models of early lexical development. Cognition,