9. Dominance, mixing and cross-linguistic influence: On their relation in bilingual development
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Tanja Kupisch
Abstract
In this chapter I explore the relation between language dominance, mixed language utterances and cross-linguistic influence based on data from two German/French bilingual children. The children differ in terms of the extent to which one language can be considered dominant, but both produce fewer mixed utterances in their stronger language. Cross-linguistic influence is examined with respect to determiner acquisition. Monolingual German and French children acquire determiners at different rates, the process being faster in French. The bilinguals use more determiners in German than monolinguals of comparable ages, which is interpreted in favour of positive influence from French. I suggest that these results are inconsistent with mixing patterns, arguing that influence and mixing represent different types of contact phenomena.
Abstract
In this chapter I explore the relation between language dominance, mixed language utterances and cross-linguistic influence based on data from two German/French bilingual children. The children differ in terms of the extent to which one language can be considered dominant, but both produce fewer mixed utterances in their stronger language. Cross-linguistic influence is examined with respect to determiner acquisition. Monolingual German and French children acquire determiners at different rates, the process being faster in French. The bilinguals use more determiners in German than monolinguals of comparable ages, which is interpreted in favour of positive influence from French. I suggest that these results are inconsistent with mixing patterns, arguing that influence and mixing represent different types of contact phenomena.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1. Left-dislocated subjects: A construction typical of young French-speaking children? 13
- 2. The development and interaction of Case and Number in early Russian 31
- 3. Verb movement and subject placement in the acquisition of word order: Pragmatics or structural economy? 61
- 4. Three acquisition puzzles and the relation between input and output 87
- 5. The acquisition of universal quantifiers in Spanish 119
- 6. Subject-object asymmetry in children's comprehension of sentences containing logical words 137
- 7. On the "vulnerability" of the left periphery in French/German balanced bilingual language acquisition 161
- 8. The subjects of unaccusative verbs in bilingual Basque/Spanish children 183
- 9. Dominance, mixing and cross-linguistic influence: On their relation in bilingual development 209
- 10. A cross-linguistic analysis of binding in Down syndrome 235
- 11. Balanced bilingual children with two weak languages: A French/German case study 269
- Afterword 295
- Index of subjects 299
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- 1. Left-dislocated subjects: A construction typical of young French-speaking children? 13
- 2. The development and interaction of Case and Number in early Russian 31
- 3. Verb movement and subject placement in the acquisition of word order: Pragmatics or structural economy? 61
- 4. Three acquisition puzzles and the relation between input and output 87
- 5. The acquisition of universal quantifiers in Spanish 119
- 6. Subject-object asymmetry in children's comprehension of sentences containing logical words 137
- 7. On the "vulnerability" of the left periphery in French/German balanced bilingual language acquisition 161
- 8. The subjects of unaccusative verbs in bilingual Basque/Spanish children 183
- 9. Dominance, mixing and cross-linguistic influence: On their relation in bilingual development 209
- 10. A cross-linguistic analysis of binding in Down syndrome 235
- 11. Balanced bilingual children with two weak languages: A French/German case study 269
- Afterword 295
- Index of subjects 299
