Bilingual People Research Articles

Prediction ability in bilingual individuals: an eye tracking study with younger and older adults

AbstractStudies with monolingual speakers show that people predict upcoming linguistic elements during sentence processing. Linguistic prediction behavior has been found to be less consistent in studies with bilingual individuals performing in their non-native language and in neurotypical older monolingual adults. The present study utilized an eye-tracking paradigm to investigate whether bilingual younger and older neurotypical individuals predict upcoming nouns in sentences that include constraining verbs, and if they do so both in their first language (L1) and in their second language (L2). Data were analyzed from 44 Norwegian-English proficient bilingual adults; 27 younger (20–35 years, mean age 27) and 17 older adults (54–81 years, mean age 64) who completed the eye-tracking experiment in each of the two languages, as well as cognitive and linguistic tests. The results demonstrated similar prediction abilities in L1 and L2 for both the younger and older participants on sentences with constraining verbs. Older adults predicted slower than younger adults. Participants’ working memory span and language proficiency did not explain prediction performance; cognate status of the stimuli partially did. The study adds to the relatively sparse existing data on prediction abilities in bilingual people and in older individuals.

From color naming to color perception: Cross‐linguistic differences of the chromatic information processing in monolingual and bilingual speakers

AbstractThere has been long running debate about the interaction of language and perception. In this context, bilingual people have often shown benefits, due to their double‐active linguistic system, in cognitive functions, like inhibition, attention, and memory, which are central for visual perception. Color naming and categorization are domains for studying cross‐linguistic effects, which arise from conceptual and perceptual variations across speakers of different languages. In this study, we compared the ‘blue’ lexicon of highly proficient French‐Italian bilinguals to monolingual speakers of the corresponding languages. Prior studies have shown that Italian has two basic color terms for the blue area of color space: one denotes light blue hues (azzurro) and the other dark blue hues (blu), whilst French, with only one basic term bleu, lacks this distinction. We used a Stroop test to probe differences in perception and categorization of blue in bi‐ and monolingual speakers. We found that Italian monolinguals name the ink color more accurately and more rapidly when the word blu is rendered in dark blue ink (corresponding to the word blu) than when it is printed in light blue ink (corresponding to azzurro), since the latter represents an incongruent condition for them. This ‘category effect’ does not exist for French monolingual speakers. Our bilinguals' results demonstrate that, despite the emergence of a specific in‐between perceptual behavior, bilinguals generally performed like Italian monolinguals. These outcomes confirm the hypothesis that their second language categories (Italian) dominate their native language (French), attesting that lexical distinctions influence perceptual faculties in general. However, the ratio of the interference effect (longer reaction times for incongruent stimuli compared to control stimuli) and the facilitation effect (shorter reaction times for congruent stimuli compared to control stimuli) is not the same for bilinguals and monolinguals. The highest magnitude in the facilitation effect was revealed for bilinguals, whereas the highest magnitude in the interference effect was revealed for Italian monolingual speakers. This phenomenon adds evidence to the existence of enhanced bilingual cognitive control abilities.

Telepractice for bilingual and multilingual people with aphasia: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Background/aims The field of speech-language pathology/therapy (SLP/T) has evolved in the last decade, especially when it comes to technological advances for online and remote clinical services. However, the transition to a telepractice service model did not occur at a similar pace for every clinician. Considering the range of clients served and the disparities in clinician experience and training with remote service delivery, it is necessary to implement a telepractice model that is sensitive to the cultural and linguistic needs of individuals with bilingual or multilingual aphasia. This scoping review of the literature (a) identifies the intervention protocols utilized via telepractice and (b) describes their components using the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification system (RTSS) framework in order to make literature-based recommendations regarding best practice in speech-language pathology telepractice services. Methods/procedures A systematic scoping review was conducted in January 2023 following frameworks described by Arksey and O’Malley (2007) and Tricco et al. (2018). A literature search was conducted for articles published in English that addressed telepractice services for multilingual people with aphasia (MPWA) in the field of speech-language pathology/therapy. Results/outcomes A total of 11 full-text studies were assessed for eligibility. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, five articles were included in this scoping review. The key factors that enabled successful telepractice sessions were described including, the technological platform used and the specific modalities of the interventions delivered. The Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) was used to describe the targets and ingredients of the interventions in the selected studies. In addition, the limitations and challenges of each study were summarized. This scoping review has demonstrated a need for expanding telepractice services for MPWA. There is a scarcity of studies addressing remote intervention, and those that do exist use mostly non-randomized designs such as single case or survey, which limits the generalizability of the results as well as their comparability and replication. Conclusions This scoping review examines the current existing literature on telepractice in MPWA. The paucity of studies included in this scoping review, indicates a need for future research in this area of telepractice for MPWA. This indicates a need for professional development and training to emphasize the cultural, linguistic, and digital skills of both clinicians and MPWA. Technological advances should be made available and accessible to diverse MPWA worldwide through improvements in digital equity.

How Different Bilinguals Cultural Identification Influence Their Language Proficiency

This article investigates the relationship between bilinguals cultural identification and language proficiency and tries to find out the strategy to improve bilinguals language proficiency. It was written in a literature review format, summarizing ten articles about bilinguals, and comparing them to research the topic. The study mostly researches three bilingual groups: immigrants, heritage language speakers, and transnational students. Moreover, found that immigrants would either identify with both cultures or deny one of them. Their attitude toward the culture will also reflect their language proficiency; they either have balanced language proficiency in both languages or show a preference for one. For heritage language speakers, their cultural identification can be consolidated through involvement in a kind of cultural background; then, heritage language speakers would raise their willingness to improve their language proficiency of heritage language. Finally, the transnational students, if they can identify themselves as successful students, might hold more confidence to study the language and gradually get better proficiency. This article concludes with three directions to help bilingual people improve their language proficiency based on their cultural identification. This could be concluded as producing a better bilingual community, recommending HL speakers parents use more about their heritage language before their children, and helping bilingual students build the identification as successful students.

Naming assessment in bilinguals for epilepsy surgery-adaptation and standardization of Boston Naming Test in India

Purpose Naming difficulty is associated with temporal lobe epilepsy and a decline in naming ability is reported following dominant temporal lobe resections. The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is the most frequently used test for assessing naming ability. Evaluating naming ability in bilingual/multilingual populations is a challenge when participants are restricted to responding in one language. The study aimed to adapt and standardize the BNT as a valid clinical tool for evaluating bilingual/multilingual people undergoing epilepsy surgery in urban India. Results Culture-appropriate adaptations were done, and participants were allowed to respond in any language. Data from 197 participants showed a strong education effect. The adaptation showed strong internal consistency, reliability, construct validity, and high sensitivity to left temporal lobe epilepsy performance. Conclusions The adapted version that allowed for flexible use of more than one language is a useful clinical tool for evaluating bilingual people undergoing epilepsy surgery.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and reliability testing of the barriers to physical activity and Disability survey (B-PADS) for Thai people with Spinal Cord injury

Purpose The objectives of this study were to translate and culturally adapt the Barriers to Physical Activity and Disability Survey (B-PADS) into the Thai context and to assess its inter- and intra-rater reliability. Methods Participants were experts in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI, n = 3), linguistic experts (n = 7), Thai-English bilingual speakers (n = 40), Thai physiotherapists (n = 8), and people with SCI living in Thailand (n = 43). The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the B-PADS into the Thai context was conducted using a 6-step process; forward translation, reconciliation of the two translated versions, backward-translation, harmonisation, backward-translation of the revised version, and cognitive debriefing with potential users and target population. The reliability of the translated tool was assessed using Cohen’s kappa (K) and McNemar’s test. Results The inter-rater reliability test demonstrated high-range agreement for the majority of statements (27 out of 38; Cohen’s K > 0.60) in the Thai-B-PADS final version. The intra-rater reliability test revealed that the majority of the statements (29 out of 38) in the Thai-B-PADS final version obtained substantial (Cohen’s K = 0.61–0.80, p < 0.05) to perfect agreement (Cohen’s K = 1.0, p < 0.05). McNemar’s test displayed no statistically significant differences amongst assessors (p > 0.05) for nearly all statements. Conclusion The Thai-B-PADS final version was successfully translated and culturally adapted for people with SCI.

Language Use of Bilingual Young People: Case of Germany and France

Starting from the second half of the 20th century, Turkish people who had to migrate to European countries due to the need for labor force in Europe, gradually settled in these countries through family reunification. Today, fourth-generation Turkish people are born and raised, educated, and integrated into the working life in these lands. The generations that grow up in a bilingual and double culture environment are exposed to both languages and cultures in their daily lives. In this study, the language use and native language skills of 9 university students from the third and fourth generations who were born and raised in France and Germany are examined in their family and social lives. In this context, the research questions of the study are: "What are the factors that determine the language use of third and fourth-generation Turkish people living in Germany and France?" and “How do competences in language skills affect the language use of bilingual young people?”. In this qualitative study, the phenomenological pattern has been used. Interview technique was used as a data collection tool and semi-structured interview questions were asked to participants, including language use and native language skills. As a result of the study, it was found that young people of the third generation living in France and the fourth generation living in Germany use the dominant language, French and German, mostly, in their social environment and education life. In the family, both languages are used effectively, however, the preferred language with parents is mostly Turkish or a mixture of both languages. Young people tend to speak the target language or code-switch with their siblings and Turkish friends. Regarding to the native language skills, they are more effective in oral communication and comprehension.

THE CONCEPT OF “BILINGUISM” AND ITS FEATURES IN FICTIONAL TEXTS

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of bilingualism in fiction. Bilingualism is an important sociolinguistic phenomenon that plays an important role in the profession of translator and the modern development of psycho- and sociolinguistics. Different definitions of the concept of "bilingualism" are characterized in the article; different positions in the understanding of the concept are described. Linguistic, sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic and methodical aspects of bilingualism are distinguished due to a rather broad concept. Linguistics analyzes the structure of two languages, the relationship between structural elements and their interaction and interpenetration at different levels. Sociolinguistics analyzes the role of social functions of bilingualism in the life of speakers. Psycholinguistics focuses on identifying the characteristics of linguistic categories and concepts reflected in the linguistic consciousness of bilingual people, and analyzing the features of retention, recognition and understanding of categories and concepts specific to the second language, which are absent in the linguistic consciousness of native speakers. This is where the concept of "culture shock" arises, which is extremely popular in literary texts. Depending on the listed aspects, the types and types of bilingualism are described: individual and group; official and unofficial; horizontal and vertical; pure and mixed; artificial and natural; regional and national. Special attention is paid in the article to bilingualism in the texts of the artistic genre. It is noted that language is a cultural code of intercultural communication, which in turn is a criterion of the author's nationality and the reason for bilingualism and multilingualism in artistic works. The specificity of literary conceptualization is characterized, which in turn affects the cultural integration of artistic texts and the most complete description of the linguistic picture of the world. Artistic texts simultaneously narrate, evoke memories, and describe their own reality in a constantly changing language, and thus reflect the author's artistic reality and the atmosphere he intended to convey.

Code accommodation as a measure of inclusion for bilingual people living with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type

Abstract This case study explores the dynamics of code choices in interactions involving bilingual people living with dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type (DAT) and their primary care partners, focusing on two narrative interviews held in private settings. Drawing on a combination of Communication Accommodation Theory and Conversation Analysis, it takes account of the patterns, communicative functions and effects of code choices and code switching as practices of interactional adjustment. The qualitative analysis sheds light on inclusive and non-inclusive interactional adjustments expressed through code choices by individual speakers, especially focusing on code accommodation at turn boundaries. Results indicate a high language awareness in the two speakers living with DAT and positive communicational outcomes when code accommodation is performed by the conversational partner.

The Acquisition of English Adjective Placement on the Early Acquisition of Bilingual Indonesian Language - English Child

This paper investigates the development of adjective on the early acquisition of bilingual Indonesian language – English child in Indonesian environment. It was longitudinal study to investigate how the child developed his adjective on two languages simultaneously and to know whether the language dominance influences the acquisition of English which become the weak language. It also used descriptive qualitative by writing daily word production of the kid. The hypothesis of this research was Indonesian language would disturb the development of English adjective on participant’s early acquisition. In this context, the participant was exposed with English in very limited time while his friends and environment speak full Indonesian language. The participant was an Indonesian boy who was exposed with Indonesian language and English from birth. His mommy, and sister were bilingual people who speak Indonesian language and English at home. Meanwhile, his daddy was multilingual person who speak Indonesian language – Lampungese language – English. However, his daddy never taught Lampungese language at home. This study was designed for 17 months starting from respondent’s age 1;8 until 3;0. The result shows that the participant developed both languages very well although English adjective form affected the place of Indonesian adjective form in which its exposure was higher than English as foreign language.

Impact of Bilingualism on Emotion Perception

Bilingualism can affect people’s emotion perception and cognition. By assigning emotion priming tasks, emotion recognizing ability of bilingual people can be compared to monolingual people to indicate the difference of language dominance of the two populations. In our study, it is hypothesized that learning a second language can cause a shift of language dominance from the mother language (Chinese) to the second language (English). Also, we propose that bilingual speaker with a higher fluency or extrovert personalities in L2 will develop more ability in perceiving emotions in the second language. Moreover, defamiliarization of first language can also happen while switching language dominance.

36 Naming in Monolingual and Bilingual Children with Epilepsy

Objective:Word finding or “naming” difficulty is a symptom of multiple neurological disorders; therefore, naming assessment is an integral component of neuropsychological evaluation. Prior work has found weaker second-language naming in healthy proficient bilingual youth than monolingual youth, and similar findings have been shown in adults with epilepsy. Considering the potential influences of both early onset epilepsy and bilingualism on brain development, we compared naming in English second language (ESL) and monolingual youth with epilepsy. To assess the impact of bilingualism independent of the known effects of seizure laterality (i.e., poor naming in those with left, dominant-hemisphere seizures), we excluded patients with left language dominance and unilateral seizures. We hypothesized that like other groups, naming would be weaker in ESL than in monolingual youth with epilepsy.Participants and Methods:Participants included 84 children with seizures that could not be lateralized clinically (n=36), bilateral seizures (n=20), centrotemporal spikes (n=3), and those with unilateral seizures and atypical language dominance (n=25), ages 6-15 years old: 66 monolingual, English (mean age: 10.87 ± 2.70 years) and 18 ESL (mean age: 10.78 ± 2.88 years). Those with FSIQ &lt; 70 and vocabulary SS &lt; 6 were excluded to ensure English proficiency. Independent samples t-tests, multivariate ANOVA, and chi-square tests compared groups on demographic factors and test performance. All measures (FSIQ, WISC/WASI Vocabulary, letter and category fluency, Children’s Auditory (AN) and Visual Naming (VN) Tests) were administered in English.Results:Monolingual and ESL groups did not differ in: age, sex, SES, seizure type (i.e., non-lateralized, bilateral, centrotemporal spikes, or atypical language dominance), epilepsy onset age, or number of AEDs. Comparisons also showed no differences in FSIQ, vocabulary, letter fluency, or category fluency (all ps &gt; 0.05). By contrast, auditory and visual naming performances were weaker among ESL patients than monolingual patients: AN accuracy, F(1,81) = 10.89, p = 0.001; AN tip-of-the-tongues (TOTs), F(1,81) = 6.35, p = 0.014; AN Summary Scores (SS), F(1,81) = 6.17, p = 0.015; VN accuracy, F(1,81) = 4.66, p = 0.034; VN SS, F(1,81) = 4.87, p = 0.030, with the exception of VN TOTs, which approached significance, F(1,81) = 3.55, p = 0.063.Conclusions:Consistent with findings in bilingual healthy youth and ESL adults with epilepsy, naming in ESL youth with epilepsy was weaker than in monolingual children. The groups did not differ on other aspects of language. Thus, unlike other expressive verbal functions, naming is adversely affected in the second language of bilingual people with epilepsy across the age span. These results suggest that poor naming in ESL patients cannot be used to infer a naming deficit, and/or left (dominant) temporal lobe dysfunction.

Bilingualism in Kurdish and Turkish and Its Semantical Result in Turkish

The aim of this study is to determine how bilingual people understand two languages and to see the influence of bilingualism in different situations from a semantic viewpoint. By way of example, sentences are chosen from the daily communication and dialogues of Kurdish and Turkish speakers—not from written texts. In the case of Kurdish, the speakers will probably be uneducated in their mother tongue, whereas their education in Turkish will be what they are taught through the curriculum in Turkish schools, where Kurdish is offered as an elective subject in competition with the Arabic of elective religious subjects. The intention is to scrutinize the mutual influence of Kurdish and Turkish and to understand and explain how one and the same person processes thoughts in one language to another. Observing and classifying in a way as to bring out thought patterns between the two languages should shape how they transfer or translate on a regular basis, whether cognitively or non-cognitively.

Types of Code-Mixing Found in Natasha Surya’s TikTok

This study classified the types of code-mixing contained in TikTok contents of Natasha Surya. The data sources of this research were taken from 5 TikTok videos which used many codemixing styles. This study applied a qualitative descriptive method in analyzing the data to elaborate the types of code-mixing found in the contents. The theory used in this study was the type of code-mixing theory proposed by Muysken (2000). Based on the analysis, there were two types of code-mixing; they were 5 insertions and 6 congruent lexicalizations. Insertion type was indicated by inserting a foreign word in a sentence while congruent lexicalization was a combination of more than one word shifting in a sentence to form a whole structural arrangement. Code-mixing was commonly used by bilingual people to show their skill in language and mixing words could raise the confidence. Further research was necessary to answer this hypothesis.

Between audio and visuality – on the difficulties of learning sign languages on the basis of culinary lexis in the Polish Sign Language

The article focuses on the issue of audio and sign bilingualism – a topic that has not yet been thoroughly covered in Polish source literature. The most frequent research in the field of glottodidactics (understood as a specially developed plan that aims to implement literacy in the youngest children, by adapting to their mental, physical and emotional abilities.) focuses on bilingual people who use phonic languages (unimodal bilingualism – phonic). In terms of bilingualism of the deaf, one can speak of either unimodal bilingualism (communicating in two sign languages) or bimodal, sign-print bilingualism, in which a deaf person communicates both in a sign language and a phonic language (Polish) in its written form[1].Different modalities between phonic-modality Polish and the sign language, which is based on visual and spatial modalities, constitute difficulties both for people with hearing impairments, as well as hearing Poles willing to learn a sign language. The further section of the text examines difficulties involved in the acquisition of culinary lexis that may be experienced by hearing people attempting to learn a sign language, as well as deaf people who want to learn Polish.

The Difference between Monolingual and Bilingual Stutterers: A Systematic Review

The article is a comprehensive review regarding group differences of brain structures, cognitive process, and emotional responses between monolingual people who stutter (MWS) and bilingual people who stutter (BWS). Until now, researchers have been examining MWS and BWS separately, yet the compare between these two groups of people is lacking. In this work, the overview of MWS and BWS are introduced, different types and traits of stutter between MWS and BWS are compared, and the differences between brain structure, executive force, motor control, and cognitive reserve are investigated and synthesized based on previous studies. Both MWS and BWS have executive deficits in speech motor control, while BWS seem to be classified as having greater potential in language inhibitory and switching, thus transferring to general executive control. The conclusions are that BWS generally experience increased neural connectivity due to larger volume of grey and white matter than MWS, and thus gaining cognitive control abilities. Further research is warranted for the bilingual advantage and the exact etiology for stuttering.

Differences in Cognitive Abilities between Monolingual and Bilingual People: A Two digital experimental approach

Due to educational requirements, a growing number of people in contemporary society are starting to learn languages other than their mother tongue. For a very long time, numerous viewpoints have been used to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this occurrence. This study evaluates the variations in attention and task switching performance between monolinguals and bilinguals from the standpoint of cognitive ability to decide whether a bilingual study is required. The experiment was designed to answer the following research question: How does bilingualism assist in the improvement of cognitive skills in young adults? According to the study, bilinguals are more attentive and switch tasks more efficiently than monolinguals. Two digital experiments, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Test of Variables of Attention, are utilized to look into the cognitive differences between bilingual and monolingual participants. The expected outcomes should support the hypothesis. Once the data is accessible, it will be further evaluated using a t-test to investigate the differences and correlations between the data sets to reach conclusions.

Exploring The Speech Patterns of Multilingual Youtubers: an Individual Multilingualism Perspective

Wide exposure to cultural diversity often leads to people learning multiple languages. Accordingly, this factor causes bilingual or multilingual people to experience linguistic phenomena related to changes in the form of spoken and written language they use to communicate with others. Our study sought to find the consequences of being multilingual speakers focused on young YouTubers and identify their speech styles in their YouTube videos. Using a descriptive qualitative method, we collected the data using free-of-conversation listening and note-taking techniques. The result found that multilingual speakers alter their language morphologically and phonologically, affecting their way of speaking. At the morphology level, frequent use of intra-sentential switching and altering grammar and syntax was found. While at the phonology level, the original accents of some YouTubers were often carried away when they spoke in other languages. Also, three factors that affect the language choices of the YouTubers were found, namely participant, function of interaction, and setting. By examining the YouTuber multilingual community, this paper contributes to the development of the scholarship on multilingualism, offering another insight into the linguistic features of multilingual speakers and the way the subjects adjust languages to reach their purposes.&#x0D; Keywords: multilingualism, code-switching, language alternation, language choice

Healthcare communication access among deaf and hard-of-hearing people during pregnancy

ObjectiveDeaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) people report ineffective healthcare communication. Limited research has been conducted on healthcare communication during pregnancy. This study’s aim was to assess communication accommodations and experiences during pregnancy for DHH people. MethodsAn accessible web-based survey was administered to a non-probability sample of DHH people through national organizations, social media, and snowball sampling. Eligibility criteria included being 21 years or older; given birth in the U.S. within the past 10 years, report hearing loss prior to the most recent birth. Questions focused on healthcare experiences and information access during their last pregnancy. The sample included 583 respondents for the present analysis. We describe the communication accommodations requested and received during pregnancy, segmented by preferred language. ResultsMost DHH participants reported communication with prenatal clinicians as “good” or “very good”. On-site interpreter services were most commonly requested by American Sign Language (ASL) only and bilingual DHH people. Interpersonal communication modification requests (e.g., speaking louder) were rarely obliged. ConclusionThis study is the first national examination of requested and received communication accommodations for DHH patients during the perinatal period. Practice implicationsHealthcare providers should work closely with patients to ensure effective communication access is provided.

AN ANALYSIS OF CODE-MIXING IN SPEAKING FOUR CLASS OF FACULTY OF LETTERS IN UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN INDONESIA : A CASE STUDY

This research is about code mixing. Code-mixing is the alternation between varieties or codes within words, clauses, or phrases. The use of code-mixing usually happens in people who speak more than one language or also called bilingual or multilingual people. The writer did this research in order to find out the code-mixing cases based on code-mixing theory in the study of sociolinguistics. She took a descriptive method that used two ways of collecting the data, firstly tape-recording and then questionnaires. The respondents of this research are Speaking Four students batch 2013 in Faculty of Letters in Universitas Kristen Indonesia. The reasons why they commit code-mixing, the type of codes that they mixed, and the proportion of female to male students committing code-mixing are the results of this study. There are 73 data which consist of codes that were mixed by the students: parts of speech (49), phrases (7), and question forms (17). The most common user of code-mixing is the noun (part of speech) and WH-question (question form).