vocabulary spurt in other languages and other contexts

[Barbara Pearson]

Dear Ping Li,
We looked at this question specifically for young bilinguals in a 1994
article, Pearson, Fernandez, and Oller, Language Learning,
44:617-653, Patterns of interaction in the lexical growth in
two languages of bilingual infants and toddlers.  (We also
try to make some sense of the varying suggestions for
operationalizing what would count as a spurt.)

We look forward to your summary.

Barbara


On Oct 14, 2004, at 10:24 AM, Ping Li wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> In English there has been a significant number of empirical studies of
> 'vocabulary spurt' or 'naming explosion'  (from Stern 1924 to Ganger &
> Brent 2004), although findings and arguments vary widely on the timing,
> shape, and function of this phenomenon.  I wonder to what extent this
> research interest is pursued in the study of other languages and in
> other
> contexts.  Specifically, I am asking (1) whether vocabulary spurt has
> been
> similary observed in languages other than English, (2) whether it has
> been
> observed in early bilingualism/multilingualism, in one or the other or
> all
> target languages, and (3) whether vocabulary spurt occurs for children
> who
> show delayed language profiles or specific language impairment (though
> perhaps later than the normal course).
>
> I would appreciate pointers and references for these questions. If
> there
> are sufficient interesting responses, I will post a summary next week.
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Ping Li
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Ping Li, Ph.D., Associate Professor
> Director, Cognitive Science Laboratory
> Department of Psychology, University of Richmond
> Richmond, VA 23173, USA
> Email: pli at richmond.edu
> Phone: (804) 289-8125 (O), 287-1236 (lab); Fax: (804) 287-1905
> http://www.richmond.edu/~pli/  or  http://cogsci.richmond.edu/
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>

*****************************************
Barbara Zurer Pearson, Ph. D.
Project Manager, Research Assistant
Dept. of Communication Disorders
University of Massachusetts
Amherst MA 01003

413.545.5023
fax: 545.0803

bpearson at comdis.umass.edu
http://www.umass.edu/aae/
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