Chapter 9. Language choice and use by bilingual preschoolers
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Carolina Barrera Tobón
Abstract
In a Spanish-immersion preschool with a dual population of heritage speakers (HS) and second-language learners (L2) of Spanish, we explore the language choices students make when their school language differs from the dominant language (English) and factors that contribute to their language choice. Observational data suggest students exhibit a type of interlocutor-dependent diglossia, typically reserving English for peer interactions and Spanish for interactions with teachers. Data from a language elicitation task revealed that a students’ language background (L2 vs HS) is not a significant predictor of their Spanish production; Spanish exposure proved to be the most significant factor. Case studies confirmed these findings and further revealed the multiple factors that make up Spanish exposure and predict students’ language use.
Abstract
In a Spanish-immersion preschool with a dual population of heritage speakers (HS) and second-language learners (L2) of Spanish, we explore the language choices students make when their school language differs from the dominant language (English) and factors that contribute to their language choice. Observational data suggest students exhibit a type of interlocutor-dependent diglossia, typically reserving English for peer interactions and Spanish for interactions with teachers. Data from a language elicitation task revealed that a students’ language background (L2 vs HS) is not a significant predictor of their Spanish production; Spanish exposure proved to be the most significant factor. Case studies confirmed these findings and further revealed the multiple factors that make up Spanish exposure and predict students’ language use.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Social and linguistic factors shaping language dynamics across the Spanish-speaking world 1
-
Part I. Morpho-syntax & semantics
- Chapter 1. Cross-dialectal productivity of the Spanish subjunctive in nominal clause complements 11
- Chapter 2. Mood selection in a contact variety 33
- Chapter 3. A corpus analysis of the structural elaboration of Spanish heritage language learners 55
- Chapter 4. Evidentiality and epistemic modality in the Andean Spanish verb 75
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Part II. Phonetics & phonology
- Chapter 5. Realizations of /b/ in the Spanish of Lima, Peru 107
- Chapter 6. Did you say peso or beso ? 127
- Chapter 7. Sheísmo in Montevideo Spanish 163
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Part III. Language attitudes & choice
- Chapter 8. ‘Debemos aprender y manejar un poco mejor el español’ 189
- Chapter 9. Language choice and use by bilingual preschoolers 211
- Chapter 10. Decolonial sociolinguistics gestures of Andean Quechua-Spanish bilingual college students promoting Quechua 231
- Chapter 11. New Mochica and the challenge of reviving an extinct language 253
- Index 275
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Social and linguistic factors shaping language dynamics across the Spanish-speaking world 1
-
Part I. Morpho-syntax & semantics
- Chapter 1. Cross-dialectal productivity of the Spanish subjunctive in nominal clause complements 11
- Chapter 2. Mood selection in a contact variety 33
- Chapter 3. A corpus analysis of the structural elaboration of Spanish heritage language learners 55
- Chapter 4. Evidentiality and epistemic modality in the Andean Spanish verb 75
-
Part II. Phonetics & phonology
- Chapter 5. Realizations of /b/ in the Spanish of Lima, Peru 107
- Chapter 6. Did you say peso or beso ? 127
- Chapter 7. Sheísmo in Montevideo Spanish 163
-
Part III. Language attitudes & choice
- Chapter 8. ‘Debemos aprender y manejar un poco mejor el español’ 189
- Chapter 9. Language choice and use by bilingual preschoolers 211
- Chapter 10. Decolonial sociolinguistics gestures of Andean Quechua-Spanish bilingual college students promoting Quechua 231
- Chapter 11. New Mochica and the challenge of reviving an extinct language 253
- Index 275
