Vocabulary, Metalinguistic Awareness and Language Dominance Among Bilingual Preschool Children

Abstract

Awareness of language structure has been studied in bilinguals, but there is limited research on how language dominance is related to metalinguistic awareness, and whether metalinguistic awareness predicts vocabulary size. The present study aims to explore the role of language dominance in the relation between vocabulary size in both languages of bilingual children and metalinguistic awareness in the societal language. It evaluates the impact of two metalinguistic awareness abilities, morphological and lexical awareness, on receptive and expressive vocabulary size. This is of special interest since most studies focus on the impact of exposure on vocabulary size but very few explore the impact of the interaction between metalinguistic awareness and dominance. 5–6-year-old preschool children with typical language development participated in the study: 15 Russian-Hebrew bilingual children dominant in the societal language (SL) Hebrew, 21 Russian-Hebrew bilingual children dominant in the Heritage language (HL) Russian and 32 monolingual children. Dominance was determined by relative proficiency, based on standardized tests in the two languages. Tasks of morphological and lexical awareness were administered in SL-Hebrew, along with measures of receptive and expressive vocabulary size in both languages. Vocabulary size in SL-Hebrew was significantly higher for SL-dominant bilinguals (who performed like monolinguals) than for HL-dominant bilinguals, while HL-Russian vocabulary size was higher for HL-dominant bilinguals than for SL-dominant bilinguals. A hierarchical regression analyzing the relationship between vocabulary size and metalinguistic awareness showed that dominance, lexical metalinguistic awareness and the interaction between the two were predictors of both receptive and expressive vocabulary size. Morphological metalinguistic awareness was not a predictor of vocabulary size. The relationship between lexical awareness and SL-vocabulary size was limited to the HL-dominant group. HL-dominant bilinguals relied on lexical metalinguistic awareness, measured by fast mapping abilities, that is, the abilities to acquire new words, in expanding their vocabulary size, whereas SL-dominant bilinguals and monolinguals did not. This difference reflects the milestones of lexical acquisition the different groups have reached. These findings show that metalinguistic awareness should also be taken into consideration when evaluating the variables that influence vocabulary size among bilinguals though different ways in different dominance groups.

Within and Across Language Predictors of Word Learning Processes in Dual Language Learners

“…For children with predominantly Spanish experience, however, Spanish grammar comprehension positively predicted word learning in English. Along with evidence from our study, the finding of a unidirectional positive cross‐linguistic prediction from the language with more experience (i.e., stronger) to the language with less experience (i.e., weaker) is of critical importance and can be interpreted in the context of literature showing that children’s proficiency in their primary language provides a critical springboard for acquisition of their second, or nondominant language (Altman et al., 2018; Kan & Kohnert, 2012; Pham, 2016). Evidence for cross‐linguistic support in English and Spanish word learning for children with predominantly Spanish experience also suggests that there may be a benefit to building a solid linguistic foundation in one language (in this case, Spanish) while receiving sufficient exposure to a second language (here, English) to leverage language‐dependent knowledge about structures across the two.…”

“…One additional study investigated how vocabulary in older preschool children (5–6 years) learning Russian and Hebrew related to fast mapping skills in Hebrew (though fast mapping in Russian was not measured), with particular attention to effects of language dominance (Altman, Goldstein, & Armon‐Lotem, 2018). Children identified as Russian‐dominant relied on receptive vocabulary in Russian to support fast mapping in Hebrew (the nondominant language).…”

The development of English as a heritage language: The role of chronological age and age of onset of bilingualism

“…Thus, heritage speakers may perform relatively better in these tasks as they can draw on other strengths for support. Following instructions is also a receptive language task and outcomes may be expected to be more advanced than expressive language tasks (Altman et al, 2017, 2018). In the case of heritage language speakers, a difference of one or more than one standard deviation has been reported (Keller et al, 2015).…”

Testing ICT-based Learning Model 'Creative Reading’ as A Trigger of Children’s Metalinguistic Awareness in Learning English

“…It is believed that this metalinguistic awareness can be increased along with the increasingly meaningful language learning process that is well received by students. From the concept of lexical awareness that becomes one of the bases of metalinguistic awareness, children are stimulated by expanding the knowledge of vocabulary size, depth dan organization (Altman, Goldstein, & Armon-Lotem, 2018). Therefore, developments in the English language learning model are needed to achieve goodness in the process of learning and teaching languages especially for English as a foreign language in Indonesia at Kindergarten level.…”