Fwd: Re: What is "normal" in bilingual children?

[Vera F. Gutierrez-Clellen]

When we looked at the grammatical development of Spanish-English
bilingual children (ages 4 to 6) in their strongest language we found
that it is not different from monolinguals of that language.
Because there are no standardized measures to determine the strongest
language, we use a measure of grammaticality based on spontaneous
language samples in each language.  The same approach could be
applied to assess relative acquisition of three or more languages.
Vera

>
>
>Dear Infochildes,
>
>I am sure to be leaving someone out, but...
>
>I can only add that the people I know who are dealing with
>bilingualism in Communication Disorders are the team
>headed by Aquiles Iglesias at Temple.  They have a contract
>from NIH to make a language test for 4 to 6 year old bilinguals (like
>the one we have here at UMass for African Americans).
>
>The other principals are Liz Pena at UTexas, and Vera Gutierrez-
>Clellen at San Diego State.  (Vera also works a lot with Adelaida
>Restrepo at Georgia, who has also been vocal in the field.)
>
>The NIH test is nearing completion.  I'm not sure whether it uses the
>"strongest language"  or the "combined strengths" approaches that we have
>seen referred to this morning--or maybe both in different parts of
>the test.
>
>Perhaps one of the people on that project will weigh in on Marita's question.
>
>It's a thorny issue.
>Till soon,
>Barbara
>
>
>On Tuesday, September 30, 2003, at 09:19 AM, Annick De Houwer wrote:
>
>>Hi Marita---
>>
>>The problem you raise is really a very big one. It requires a very complex
>>answer, but I will here, at the great danger of oversimplifying things, just
>>write a few things that can perhaps help.
>>As Barbara Pearson and others have shown, you can't really judge a bilingual
>>child's knowledge on the basis of just one language (let alone, a CDI i one
>>language). By definition, a bilingual child knows a lot more than just one
>>language. But the problem is: there are no norms available that can easily
>>and reliably used for bilingual children. In the mean time: what to do?? My
>>own experience as a researcher in child bilingualism leads me to say that
>>one should get as much information from all the people in the child's
>>environment - from all the normal 'carriers' of each of the child's
>>languages, and hear what they have to say. If a child is functioning well in
>>all the languages he/she is exposed to, according to the people who know the
>>child, there is no cause for undue concern. If the child does OK in one
>>language, and not so well in the other, the child most likely has fewer
>>opportunities to learn/use the weaker language, and more intense input might
>>be a good 'remedy'. (It is quite normal for young bilingual children to know
>>each of their languages to different extents.) A real problem exists if the
>>child does not function well in any language. Then professional help is
>>called for - and more input in all the child's languages.
>>I'm sure that other colleagues will also attempt to respond. In the mean
>>time, I hope the above can be of some help.
>>
>>Best regards,
>>
>>
>>Annick De Houwer
>>
>>
>>****************
>>Annick De Houwer, PhD
>>Director, Research group Language, Communication and Socialization
>>
>>Dept. of Communication
>>Campus Drie Eiken
>>University of Antwerp
>>Universiteitsplein 1
>>B2610-Antwerpen
>>Belgium
>>
>>tel +32-3_8202863
>>fax +32-3-8202882
>>email annick.dehouwer at ua.ac.be
>>
>>>Van: "Marita Boehning" <boehning at kronos.ling.uni-potsdam.de>
>>>Datum: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 11:57:26 +0200
>>>Aan: info-childes at mail.talkbank.org
>>>Onderwerp: What is "normal" in bilingual children?
>>>
>>>Dear members,
>>>I was recently asked for advice by a mother of a 3;5 year-old son who
>>>learns 3 languages as his mother tongue.  Turkish is the language coming
>>>from the father, English from the mother and German from everywhere else
>>>(as they live in Germany) and sometimes from the parents, too.
>>>As I haven't dealt with much research on bilingualism, I have hardly any
>>>idea, what is normal for a child who has to acquire 3 languages
>>>simultaneously. I looked at the German equivalent of the CDI (ELFRA-2),
>>>and it turns out his results equal a 2;5 year-old.
>>>Would a year delay be "normal" for such a child or is intervention
>>>indicated? And if intervention, then are there special approaches for
>>>those children?
>>>
>>>Thanks for any help!
>>>
>>>Marita Boehning
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>******************************
>>>Marita Boehning
>>>Department of Linguistics
>>>University of Potsdam
>>>P.O. Box 60 15 53
>>>D - 14415 Potsdam
>>>Germany
>>>
>>>*****************************
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>*****************************************
>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/

--
Vera F. Gutierrez-Clellen, Ph.D.
Professor
School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and SDSU/UCSD Joint
Doctoral Program Language and Communicative Disorders
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1518

Office  (619) 594-6645
Bilingual Child Language Research Laboratory (619) 594-2279
FAX: (619) 594-7109