Phonology and sentential semantics
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Angela Grimm
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate phonology (via consonant clusters) and sentential semantics (via exhaustivity in wh-questions) regarding their potential to characterize SLI in the context of bilingual acquisition. Using the German LITMUS-QU-NWR task and the exhaustivity task, the phonological and semantic abilities of 5- to 6-year-old simultaneous-bilingual (2L1) and early second language (eL2) learners of German with SLI were compared to their typically developing peers. The results suggest that in this age group language-dependent phonological knowledge regarding consonant clusters is a marker of SLI for 2L1 and eL2 children, while language independent knowledge of consonant clusters is a marker of SLI only for eL2 children. At age 5 to 6, exhaustivity is not a marker of SLI in either bilingual group. Consistent with the notion of subtypes of SLI, individual analyses revealed considerable heterogeneity within the two SLI groups. We argue that characterization of bilingual SLI requires analyses of group and individual data, and moreover, consideration of the age at testing in relation to timing in monolingual acquisition. The COST-tasks are suitable for combining both approaches.
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate phonology (via consonant clusters) and sentential semantics (via exhaustivity in wh-questions) regarding their potential to characterize SLI in the context of bilingual acquisition. Using the German LITMUS-QU-NWR task and the exhaustivity task, the phonological and semantic abilities of 5- to 6-year-old simultaneous-bilingual (2L1) and early second language (eL2) learners of German with SLI were compared to their typically developing peers. The results suggest that in this age group language-dependent phonological knowledge regarding consonant clusters is a marker of SLI for 2L1 and eL2 children, while language independent knowledge of consonant clusters is a marker of SLI only for eL2 children. At age 5 to 6, exhaustivity is not a marker of SLI in either bilingual group. Consistent with the notion of subtypes of SLI, individual analyses revealed considerable heterogeneity within the two SLI groups. We argue that characterization of bilingual SLI requires analyses of group and individual data, and moreover, consideration of the age at testing in relation to timing in monolingual acquisition. The COST-tasks are suitable for combining both approaches.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
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Part I. LITMUS in typical bilingual development
- MAIN story comprehension 13
- How oral texts are organized in monolingual and heritage Russian 47
- A case study of a quadrilingual child 77
- Lexical diversity in bilingual speakers of Croatian and Italian 99
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Part II. Using LITMUS for identifying SLI (DLD)
- Language performance of sequential bilinguals on an Irish and English sentence repetition task 131
- Identification of bilingual children with Specific Language Impairment in France 169
- Effects of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and bilingualism on verbal short-term memory 197
- The influence of different first languages on LITMUS nonword-repetition and sentence repetition in second language French and second language German 227
- Phonology and sentential semantics 263
- Crosslinguistic nonword repetition and narrative performance over time 301
- Index 329
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. LITMUS in typical bilingual development
- MAIN story comprehension 13
- How oral texts are organized in monolingual and heritage Russian 47
- A case study of a quadrilingual child 77
- Lexical diversity in bilingual speakers of Croatian and Italian 99
-
Part II. Using LITMUS for identifying SLI (DLD)
- Language performance of sequential bilinguals on an Irish and English sentence repetition task 131
- Identification of bilingual children with Specific Language Impairment in France 169
- Effects of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and bilingualism on verbal short-term memory 197
- The influence of different first languages on LITMUS nonword-repetition and sentence repetition in second language French and second language German 227
- Phonology and sentential semantics 263
- Crosslinguistic nonword repetition and narrative performance over time 301
- Index 329
