The relationship between executive function, age of L2 acquisition and speech disfluencies in bilinguals

Abstract

Disfluencies signal errors in speech processes. Research in typically fluent monolinguals indicates a correlation between disfluencies and specific executive function (EF), including cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory (WM), and attention. However, these relationships have not been systematically explored in bilinguals. This study investigates the relationship between these EF components, age of language acquisition and disfluencies in bilinguals. Two types of disfluencies were examined: stalling, where articulation is delayed until the speech plan is ready, and advancing, that is, the articulation of incomplete speech plans. A total of 120 English speech samples based on simulated job interviews from 20 typically fluent adult Spanish-English bilinguals were transcribed and coded for disfluencies. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Digit span was used to measure cognitive flexibility/inhibitory control, and the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function Color-Word Interference Test was used to assess WM/attention. Findings indicate correlations between stalling disfluencies and cognitive flexibility/inhibitory control, advancing disfluencies and WM/attention, and age of acquisition and both stalling and advancing disfluencies.