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Chapter 2. Bilingual child acquisition through the lens of sociolinguistic approaches

  • Leonie Cornips
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Bilingual Cognition and Language
This chapter is in the book Bilingual Cognition and Language

Abstract

This paper entails a perspective on bilingual child acquisition through the lens of sociolinguistic approaches. A discussion of the concepts of monolingual language ideology and power dynamics is undertaken in order to reveal their important consequences on studying bilingual child acquisition, in particular, which (parts of) language(s) and children are important to study with which kinds of methodologies, concepts, and analyses. This paper discusses ethnographic fieldwork as a methodology to dive deeper into the whole envelope of bilingual child use in situated interactions with parents/care-takers, teachers and other children at home and in the classroom. The emphasis on language ideologies and power dynamics has helped sociolinguistic enquiry to move away from existing monolingual bias in bilingual child acquisition research.

Abstract

This paper entails a perspective on bilingual child acquisition through the lens of sociolinguistic approaches. A discussion of the concepts of monolingual language ideology and power dynamics is undertaken in order to reveal their important consequences on studying bilingual child acquisition, in particular, which (parts of) language(s) and children are important to study with which kinds of methodologies, concepts, and analyses. This paper discusses ethnographic fieldwork as a methodology to dive deeper into the whole envelope of bilingual child use in situated interactions with parents/care-takers, teachers and other children at home and in the classroom. The emphasis on language ideologies and power dynamics has helped sociolinguistic enquiry to move away from existing monolingual bias in bilingual child acquisition research.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Studies in bilingualism 1
  4. Part I. Theoretical accounts
  5. Chapter 2. Bilingual child acquisition through the lens of sociolinguistic approaches 15
  6. Chapter 3. Usage-based approaches to second language acquisition 37
  7. Chapter 4. Formal linguistics and second language acquisition 57
  8. Part II. Child bilingualism
  9. Chapter 5. Simultaneous child bilingualism 81
  10. Chapter 6. Child L2 acquisition 103
  11. Chapter 7. The role of language input environments for language outcomes and language acquisition in young bilingual children 127
  12. Chapter 8. Literacy development in linguistically diverse pupils 155
  13. Chapter 9. CHILDES for bilingualism 183
  14. Part III. Adult bilingualism
  15. Chapter 10. Syntactic representations in late learners of a second language 205
  16. Chapter 11. First language attrition and bilingualism 225
  17. Chapter 12. Different situations, similar outcomes 251
  18. Part IV. Bilingual cognition, neuroscience and impairment
  19. Chapter 13. Bilingualism and executive function 283
  20. Chapter 14. Words on the brain 307
  21. Chapter 15. Neurobiology of bilingualism 325
  22. Chapter 16. Bilingualism and children with developmental language and communication disorders 347
  23. Chapter 17. Understanding the nature of bilingual aphasia 371
  24. Index 401
https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.54.02cor

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Studies in bilingualism 1
  4. Part I. Theoretical accounts
  5. Chapter 2. Bilingual child acquisition through the lens of sociolinguistic approaches 15
  6. Chapter 3. Usage-based approaches to second language acquisition 37
  7. Chapter 4. Formal linguistics and second language acquisition 57
  8. Part II. Child bilingualism
  9. Chapter 5. Simultaneous child bilingualism 81
  10. Chapter 6. Child L2 acquisition 103
  11. Chapter 7. The role of language input environments for language outcomes and language acquisition in young bilingual children 127
  12. Chapter 8. Literacy development in linguistically diverse pupils 155
  13. Chapter 9. CHILDES for bilingualism 183
  14. Part III. Adult bilingualism
  15. Chapter 10. Syntactic representations in late learners of a second language 205
  16. Chapter 11. First language attrition and bilingualism 225
  17. Chapter 12. Different situations, similar outcomes 251
  18. Part IV. Bilingual cognition, neuroscience and impairment
  19. Chapter 13. Bilingualism and executive function 283
  20. Chapter 14. Words on the brain 307
  21. Chapter 15. Neurobiology of bilingualism 325
  22. Chapter 16. Bilingualism and children with developmental language and communication disorders 347
  23. Chapter 17. Understanding the nature of bilingual aphasia 371
  24. Index 401
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