Effects Of Language Dominance Research Articles

Effects of language dominance on home reading practices of bilingual families

Aims and objectives: Many children grow up in bilingual families; however, little is known about how these families use their two languages in their home reading practices. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of language proficiency on the shared storybook reading practices of bilingual families. Methodology: We gathered questionnaire data about home reading activities in French–English bilingual families with 5-year-old children ( n = 66) who had different proficiency levels in each language. Data and analyses: We compared home reading environment, parent reading practices, and child learning and interest in books across the families’ dominant and non-dominant languages using a series of 2-way mixed analyses of variance. Findings: Families gave more emphasis to reading practices in the family’s dominant language: they owned more books, read more often, spent more time, and started reading to the child at an earlier age in the dominant than in the non-dominant language. Dominance also affected parent reading behaviors: parents reported more often translating words and switching from their non-dominant to their dominant language. Parents reported that children enjoyed being read to and readily learned new words in both languages, but ratings were higher for the dominant language. Effects of dominance were strongest in families with less balanced language dominance. Originality: This study compares bilingual families’ home reading practices in both of their languages, providing a clearer picture of how families navigate early dual-language literacy in a bilingual community where both languages are spoken in everyday life and have similar sociolinguistic status. Significance: Results suggest that even in bilingual communities, family home reading practices may exacerbate uneven development across children’s two languages. These findings highlight the importance of identifying strategies to support enriched home reading practices in bilingual families’ non-dominant language.

Which bilinguals reverse language dominance and why?

When naming pictures in mixed-language blocks, bilinguals sometimes exhibit reversed language dominance effects. These have been attributed to proactive inhibitory control of the dominant language, or adaptation of language-specific selection thresholds. Even though reversed dominance arguably provides the most striking evidence of inhibition, few studies have focused on when and why this effect occurs. We investigated this topic in a large data set (>400 bilinguals) using a continuous and objective measure of language dominance. We found larger reversed language dominance effects in more (vs. less) balanced bilinguals in mixed-language blocks. However, after taking into account standard language dominance effects in single-language blocks, the extent to which dominance effects changed across block types was actually significantly smaller for more balanced bilinguals, which is in line with the inhibitory control account. Interestingly, dominance reversal was not associated with increased overall speed in the mixed-language block. Thus, dominance reversal is more likely in balanced bilinguals not because they are better at applying proactive control, but because they are more likely to overshoot when the goal is to make both languages about equally accessible – and overall, unbalanced bilinguals apply more proactive control than balanced bilinguals to facilitate picture naming in mixed-language blocks.

Language and Decoding Skills in Greek-English Primary School Bilingual Children: Effects of Language Dominance, Contextual Factors and Cross-Language Relationships Between the Heritage and the Majority Language

Bilingual children are a heterogeneous population, as the amount of input and use of their languages may differ due to various factors, for example, the status of each language (majority, minority), which language is used in the school, and whether children are acquiring literacy in one or both languages. Their language ability depends to a large extent on the use of each language and on whether they each language at the same rate. The aim of the study was to investigate how primary school bilingual children in the UK perform on several domains of language and reading skills and how these relate to language dominance. Moreover, it addressed how this performance is affected by a range of contextual factors and whether there are cross-language relationships in the children’s language and reading abilities. Forty Greek-English bilingual children in Year 1 and Year 3 were tested on vocabulary, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, morpho-syntax, and decoding in Greek and English. The results showed that as a group, the children were Greek dominant before the age of 4 but English dominant now and confirm that language dominance could change even before children enter school and affects language and literacy skills equally. A strong relationship between language use and performance was only in evidence in the minority language, which suggests that parental effort should be directed towards the minority language because schooling appears to level out differences in the majority language. There was no negative relationship between the use of the heritage language and children’s language and reading performance in the majority language. In contrast, significant positive cross-language associations were revealed among vocabulary, phonological awareness, inflectional morphology and decoding skills. The practical implications of this study are that parents and teachers should be informed for the positive effects of heritage language use in and outside the home for the maintenance of the heritage language and for the development of the children’s language and literacy skills.

Language dominance does not always predict cross-linguistic interactions in bilingual speech production

Abstract The present study describes the results of two experiments that analyze the effects of language dominance on Catalan/Spanish bilingual speech production. We examined the acoustics of the Catalan [a]~[ə] alternation (a phonological process induced by lexical stress) and of the Catalan mid vowel contrasts /e/-/ɛ/ and /o/-/ɔ/ (two phonemic contrasts) in the speech of Catalan- vs. Spanish-dominant early Catalan/Spanish bilinguals from Majorca (Spain). The results indicate that, contrary to the analysis of the Catalan mid vowels, stressed and unstressed Spanish and Catalan /a/ yielded no significant difference as a function of language dominance. These findings suggest that unstressed vowel reduction, a phonological process, may be relatively easier to acquire than phonemic contrasts with a low functional load (/e/-/ɛ/, /o/-/ɔ/), perhaps because its predictability and high frequency may attract attention and/or relieve cognitive resources, which could be conducive to phonological learning. These findings demonstrate that language dominance effects in the production of phonemic contrasts, widely researched in the literature on early bilingualism, do not guarantee the same effects on the implementation of phonological processes.

Effect of dialect on phonological analysis

ABSTRACTIt is important to understand a child’s language background, to ensure appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment of speech sound disorders. Singapore is home to various cultures and languages, and local speech norms are needed to provide an accurate reference for assessing phonological disorders in the local population. This study aims to establish normative data and better understand the English phonological development of English–Mandarin bilingual preschoolers in Singapore, aged 3; 6–4; 5 years. The Articulation and Phonology subtests of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology – UK were used to collect speech data from 146 preschoolers. Responses were scored against two standards – British Standard English (BSE) and Singapore English (SGE), in terms of speech sound accuracy, and the frequency and type of error patterns present. The effect of language dominance on the children’s English phonological abilities was explored. Results showed that the preschoolers’ speech sound accuracy increased significantly when scored against SGE versus BSE targets. The number of children identified to be using several error patterns was reduced when SGE targets were used instead of BSE targets. English-dominant children scored significantly higher than their Mandarin-dominant peers on measures of speech sound accuracy. The identification of error patterns also differed between the two groups. These results show that it is important to take dialectal variation and language dominance into account in assessment, to determine if speech characteristics are due to a speech sound disorder or just normal dialectal variations.

Asymmetrical interlingual influence in the production of Spanish and English laterals as a result of competing activation in bilingual language processing

This study examines the phonetic and phonological knowledge of Spanish and English /l/ by early and late Spanish-English bilinguals along a continuum of language dominance. Forty early Spanish-English bilinguals, divided into groups as a function of their immigrant generation (G1.5, G2, G3), and twenty L2 Spanish learners produced word-initial and word-final laterals in three separate sessions: monolingual Spanish session, monolingual English session, and bilingual Spanish/English session. Results indicate that all participants acquired the phonetic and allophonic characteristics of the lateral variants in each language, and that language dominance strongly predicts these bilinguals’ acoustic realization of Spanish and English laterals. The acoustic analyses reveal phonetic convergence as a result of language mode, but it is especially the laterals in the non-dominant language that are altered in bilingual mode. This study provides evidence of language dominance effects on the acoustic realization of Spanish and English laterals, and demonstrates the impact of language mode on the phonetic abilities of early and late bilinguals. It is proposed that a model of bilingual processing based on the principles of episodic frameworks, in which exemplars in a bilingual lexicon develop connections across languages and lexical processing activates the words of both languages non-selectively, can explain these findings.

Evaluation of Language Predictors of Main Concept Production in Spanish/English Bilingual Discourse Using Nicholas and Brookshire Stimuli.

A conceptual framework of bilingual aphasia assessment requires an understanding of the variables that influence discourse in bilingual speakers. This study aimed to determine predictors of main concept (MC) production, a measure of discourse completeness, as well as the effect of language dominance on MCs. The Nicholas and Brookshire (1993) picture stimuli were used to elicit English and Spanish discourse in 83 young bilinguals. Participant-reported variables (e.g., proficiency self-ratings) and measured language variables (e.g., correct information units [CIUs] in discourse) were entered into regressions to determine potential MC predictors. A repeated-measures analysis of variance evaluated MCs within and across dominance groups categorized by speaking self-ratings. Measured language variables (number of CIUs, naming accuracy) were most predictive of MCs. The participant-reported variable most associated with MC production was self-rating of speaking proficiency. Spanish- and English-dominant groups produced more MCs in their dominant language; the balanced group produced more English MCs. Between-groups differences were observed. Two measures related to lexical retrieval (CIUs and naming) were most predictive of MC production across languages. Participant ratings of speaking proficiency were also highly correlated to MCs. They also accurately reflected dominance, though balanced bilinguals overestimated their Spanish abilities. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5708605.

Verbal and visuospatial working memory in immersion-educated bilingual children

ABSTRACTWorking memory (WM) is a recognised component of executive function and has undergone scrutiny in terms of bilingual and monolingual performance comparisons. Research to date, however, has not consistently replicated the presence of bilingual advantage. The present study examined short-term (STM) and WM in immersion-educated children and a matched group of English monolingual controls. One hundred and twenty-one children participated, and differences in performance were examined in two age groups (7 and 9 years). Children performed two STM (digit recall, mazes memory) and four WM tasks (listening recall, counting recall, backwards digit recall, Mr. X). Results indicated largely equivalent performance on the STM and WM tasks administered. Verbal STM and WM performance in L1 (English) and L2 (Irish) was then examined within the bilingual sample only. Results indicated largely equivalent performance across languages for both age groups, with language dominance effects emerging in one verbal WM task (listening recall) only. Overall, our results suggest that bilingualism does not confer advantages for WM. Implications for the assessment of STM and WM in bilingual children participating in a full immersion education programme are discussed.

Effect of Language Switching On the Response Latency in the Cued Picture-Naming Paradigm among Hindi Dominant and Balanced Bilinguals

Language dominance has long been considered an important factor in determining the processing time associated with language switching. It is evident that when an unbalanced bilingual switch from ones non-dominant to dominant language (backward switching), s/he requires more reaction time in comparison to when s/he switches from dominant language to non-dominant language (forward switching). In this study, the researcher examined the effects of language dominance and switching on the response time in the cued picture-naming paradigm. Results indicate that the overall response time required by balanced bilingual is less than that of Hindi dominant bilinguals. It was also found that, Hindi dominant required more reaction time in backward switching in comparison to forward switching. For balanced bilinguals, the difference between forward and backward switching was not found to be significant. The results of this study have been discussed in light of the concept of ‘reactive inhibition’ of the Inhibitory Control Model (ICM).

The Effects of Language Dominance in the Perception and Production of the Galician Mid Vowel Contrasts

Aims: This study investigates the perception and production of the Galician mid vowel contrasts by 54 early Spanish-Galician bilinguals in the cities of Vigo and Santiago (Galicia, Spain). Empirical data is provided to examine the role of language dominance in the perception and production of Galician mid vowel contrasts in order to determine whether the Galician vowel system is becoming more Spanish-like as a result of extensive contact with Spanish in urban areas. Methods: Perception and production data for each mid vowel contrast were collected in (1) binary forced-choice identification tasks, (2) AX discrimination tasks and (3) a reading-aloud task. Results: Results from binary forced-choice identification and AX discrimination tasks indicate that Spanish-dominant bilinguals have great difficulty in discriminating between these mid vowels while Galician-dominant subjects display a robust categorical identification of the two mid vowel categories. Acoustic analyses of their productions show that Galician-dominant bilinguals implement a Galician-specific /e/-/ɛ/ contrast but Spanish-dominant ones produce a single, merged Spanish-like front mid vowel. However, both language dominance groups seem to maintain a more robust /o/-/ɔ/ contrast. This asymmetry between front and back mid vowels is found in the productions of both language dominance groups. Conclusion: These results show that language dominance is a strong predictor of the production and perception abilities of Spanish-Galician bilinguals, and that only Galician-dominant subjects in these urban areas possess two independent phonetic categories in the front and back mid vowel space.

The perception and production of language-specific mid-vowel contrasts: Shifting the focus to the bilingual individual in early language input conditions

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: This study investigates the perception and production of the Catalan mid-vowel contrasts by 60 early Spanish-Catalan bilinguals addressing the following questions: (1) what are the effects of language dominance in the production and perception of the Catalan midvowels? (2) Does the perceptual deficit attributed in Barcelona remain in Majorca? (3) Do these bilinguals maintain the mid-vowel contrasts in production? And (4) what is the relationship between the perception and production of the mid-vowel contrasts within each bilingual individual? Design/Methodology/Approach: Participants completed categorical AXB discrimination and picture-naming tasks to examine their perception and production of the Catalan mid-vowel contrasts. Data and Analysis: The perception data consisted of 8,640 responses and the production dataset comprised 9,585 acoustic measurements that were submitted to mixed-model ANOVAs. Individual variation was explored by calculating the Euclidean distance between the mid-vowel categories for each speaker and exploring correlations with their accuracy rates in the perception task. Findings/Conclusions: The results indicate that mid-vowels are more susceptible to discrimination difficulties than other vowel contrasts. Even though these bilinguals overall maintain robust midvowel contrasts in their productions, a closer examination reveals that the degree of language dominance affects the acoustic distance maintained between the mid-vowel targets. Individuals that produced the mid-vowels with smaller Euclidean distances were more likely to have a higher error rate in the perception task than bilinguals who produced a more robust contrast. Originality: This study examines both mid-vowel contrasts in a variety of Catalan that has been reported to maintain robust mid-vowel contrasts in comparison to the acquisition deficit described in Barcelona, and explores the relationship between the production and perception abilities of each bilingual individual along a continuum of language dominance. Significance/Implications: This study contributes with new data to the study of language dominance and the relationship between the production and perception abilities of early and highly proficient bilinguals.

Effects of language dominance on item and order memory in free recall, serial recall and order reconstruction

Spanish–English bilinguals (N = 144) performed free recall, serial recall and order reconstruction tasks in both English and Spanish. Long-term memory for both item and order information was worse in the less fluent language (L2) than in the more fluent language (L1). Item scores exhibited a stronger disadvantage for the L2 in serial recall than in free recall. Relative order scores were lower in the L2 for all three tasks, but adjusted scores for free and serial recall were equivalent across languages. Performance of English-speaking monolinguals (N = 72) was comparable to bilingual performance in the L1, except that monolinguals had higher adjusted order scores in free recall. Bilingual performance patterns in the L2 were consistent with the established effects of concurrent task performance on these memory tests, suggesting that the cognitive resources required for processing words in the L2 encroach on resources needed to commit item and order information to memory. These findings are also consistent with a model in which item memory is connected to the language system, order information is processed by separate mechanisms and attention can be allocated differentially to these two systems.

Recognising words in three languages: effects of language dominance and language switching

This study aims to examine language dominance and language switching effects in a series of monolingual and multilingual lexical decisions in which participants have to decide if the presented letter string is a word or not, regardless of language. Thirty participants (12 French–English bilinguals and 18 French–English–Spanish trilinguals) were recruited for two different experiments. In Experiment 1, 12 bilinguals processed two monolingual lists (L1 and L2) followed by a bilingual list (with L1 and L2 words). The results indicate faster answers and better accuracy for L1 words compared to L2 words in both lists, and a general slowdown of processing in the bilingual list, highlighting language switching effects (switch from L2 to L1 faster than from L1 to L2). In Experiment 2, 18 trilinguals performed successively monolingual (L1, L2 and L3), bilingual (L1L2, L1L3 and L2L3) and trilingual (L1L2L3) lists. The results show a slowdown of word processing as a function of number of languages involved, even for the dominant language (L1). Moreover, a language switching effect was found for all multilingual lists, in larger proportions when the list involves the two weakest languages (L2 and L3). Results are discussed in the light of interactive models of bilingual visual word processing.

LOVE STYLES FROM A BILINGUAL (HUNGARIAN-SERBIAN) AND A MONOLINGUAL (SERBIAN) PERSPECTIVE

Recently there has been a growing body of research interested in the concept of love and in the emotional life of bilinguals. The aim of this research was twofold. One aim was to explore the love styles of young people in Vojvodina, Serbia in the context of Hungarian and Serbian language. On the other hand, a monolingual Serbian group and a bilingual group of Hungarian-Serbian young people were studied to see if there were significant differences in their intimate relationships in Serbian, as the dominant language and in Hungarian, as a minority language. The goal was to explore if there were different love styles connected to each language in a majority and a minority group. Additionally, we wanted to see if there were detectable language dominance effects in bilinguals, whether bilinguals had different romantic relationship constructs in their two languages. In this research, Susan and Clyde Hendrick's Love Attitude Scale-Short form was applied. The scale was translated into Hungarian and Serbian. The equality of the meaning of the two scale versions was carefully matched. The results showed that comparing the monolingual group and the bilingual group in the first language there were group differences in Eros and Agape. In the monolingual Hungarian and bilingual Serbian answers we can find the same differences: Eros and Agape were found to be more powerfully expressed in the bilingual group in both of their languages compared to the monolingual group. Considering bilinguals' first and second language results, two styles have been found to differ. These were Mania and Storge, which were present in different amounts in the first and the second language. The relevance of this study lies in the fact that there is a rising number of multiethnic and multicultural intimate relationships. Many of the partners have to use a second language to express love and affection. Expression and understanding of emotions may depend on the language which is used in communication and on cultural variation in values and norms. This research has important implications for the study of ethnocultural differences and first- and second language modulated affective functioning. Keywords: bilingualism, monolingualism, love, Love Attitude Scale, Hungarian, Serbian.

Working memory representation in atypical language dominance

One of the most important factors controlling material specific processing in the human brain is language dominance, i.e. hemispheric specialization in semantic processes. Although previous studies have shown that lateralized long-term memory processes in the medial temporal lobes are modified in subjects with atypical (right) language dominance, the effect of language dominance on the neural basis of working memory (WM) has remained unknown. Here, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to study the impact of language dominance on the neural representation of WM. We conducted an n-back task in three different load conditions and with both verbal and nonverbal (spatial) material in matched groups of left and right language dominant subjects. This approach allowed us to investigate regions showing significant interactions between language dominance and material. Overall, right dominant subjects showed an increased inter-individual variability of WM-related activations. Verbal WM involved more pronounced activation of the left fusiform cortex in left dominant subjects and of the right inferior parietal lobule in the right dominant group. Spatial WM, on the other hand, induced activation of right hemispheric regions in left dominant subjects, but no specific activations in right dominant subjects. Taken together, these findings indicate that the neural basis of verbal WM processes depends on language dominance and is more mutable in right dominant subjects. The increased variability in right dominant subjects strongly suggests that a standard network of material-dependent WM processes exists in left dominant subjects, and that right dominant subjects use variable alternative networks.

Blistering barnacles! What language do multilinguals Swear in?!

The present contribution focuses on the effects of language dominance / attrition, context of acquisition, age of onset of learning, frequency of general use of a language and sociodemographic variables on self-reported language choice for swearing. The analysis is based on a database to which 1039 multilinguals contributed through a web based questionnaire. Results suggest that, according to the self-reports, swearing happens most frequently in the multilinguals’ dominant language. Mixed instruction, an early start in the learning process, and frequent use of a language all contribute to the choice of that language for swearing. Sociodemographic variables were not found to have any effect. Frequency of language choice for swearing was found to be positively correlated with perceived emotional force of swearwords in that language. Quantitative results based on answers to close-ended questions corresponded to participants’ responses to open-ended questions. O presente artigo céntrase nos efectos do dominio e perda lingüística, contexto de adquisición, idade de comezo da aprendizaxe, frecuencia de uso xeral da lingua, e mais das variábeis socio-demográficas, sobre as respostas dadas polos propios falantes a propósito das súas escollas de lingua para maldicir. A análise fundaméntase nunha base de datos á que contribuíron 1039 plurilingües, a través dunha enquisa exposta na rede. Os resultados suxiren que, segundo o que din os propios falantes, os xuramentos ocorren con meirande frecuencia na lingua dominante dos plurilingües. Unha instrución mixta, un comezo precoz no proceso de aprendizaxe, e mais o uso frecuente da lingua contribúen á escolla da lingua coa que se xura. Non se atoparon efectos das variábeis socio-demográficas. Atopouse unha correlación positiva entre a frecuencia da escolla de código para maldicir e a forza emocional percibida nos xuramentos nesa lingua. Os resultados cuantitativos baseados en respostas a preguntas con final pechado correspondéronse coas respostas dos participantes a preguntas con final aberto.

A study of the language dominance effects on bilinguals’ voice quality

This paper examines whether language dominance exerts influences on speaker’s voice quality. Ten French–Polish bilingual subjects, split into a French-dominant group and a Polish-dominant group, were selected. They were asked to record five utterances of two balanced texts (one for each language). One FFT-based LTAS was computed for each utterance. The so-obtained 100 spectra were compared by means of a pattern recognition procedure: the SDDD dissimilarity index. Two types of within-speaker comparisons were performed for each subject: within-language comparisons and between-language comparisons. The results show that the average SDDD index values derived from the between-language comparisons score higher than those drawn from within-language matchings. This confirms our earlier results based on different types of bilinguals. The within-language FR/FR SDDD index values tend to score higher in the French-dominant group than the POL/POL ones; the opposite relationship can be observed in Polish-dominant subjects. These results empower one to generalize the idea that language dominance seems to be a significant variable in the characterization of the phonetic behavior of speakers using more than one language.

Effect of language dominance on cognitive processes in a Stroop task.

The present study investigated the effect of language dominance on 40 subjects' performance on a Stroop task. In the first group were 20 Education majors using mainly the Arabic language, while in the second group of 20 students were majors in English. Each group performed two different Stroop tasks. Analysis showed that language comprehension affected the way subjects processed the information. This difference was explained in terms of cognitive processes involved and by a late selective attention process.

Perception and Production of a Voicing Contrast by French-English Bilinguals

The use of spectral information at vowel onset, which constitutes a stronger cue to the voicing contrast in English than in French, was investigated in French-English bilinguals in order to determine whether the primary language in terms of early experience determines acoustic cue weighting. The /pεn/-/bεn/ minimal pair, meaningful in both languages, was used as a base for identification tests, which were presented with either an English or a French precursor word before each token. Two stimulus continua, formed of digitally-edited natural speech tokens, had an identical VOT range but varied in their [εn] stem. In their production of the contrast, bilinguals showed clear evidence of code-switching but did not always produce monolingual-like VOTs in their weaker language. In perception, the code-switching effect was significant but small. The bilingual group with English as primary early language showed a greater effect of vowel onset characteristics, in conflictingcue conditions, than the bilingual group with French as their primary early language, and, on average, cue-weighting was not affected by the language of the precursor. An effect of language dominance on cue-weighting was therefore found.