Leah Fabiano-Smith

Interaction in bilingual phonological acquisition: evidence from phonetic inventories

Abstract Purpose. To examine how interaction contributes to phonological acquisition in bilingual children in order to determine what constitutes typical development of bilingual speech sound inventories. Method. Twenty-four children, ages 3–4, were included: eight bilingual Spanish–English-speaking children, eight monolingual Spanish speakers, and eight monolingual English speakers. Single word samples were obtained to derive phonetic inventories. After Dinnsen, Chin, Elbert and Powell for English and Cataño, Barlow, and Moyna for Spanish, the childrens inventories were assigned to one of five levels of complexity. Levels were compared for similarities and differences within bilinguals and between monolinguals and bilinguals. Inventories were examined for evidence of interaction in the form of phonological transfer. Results. Bilinguals had phonetic inventories that were commensurate in complexity with monolinguals. Bilingual children acquire two inventories in the same amount of time that monolinguals acquire one, and with the same level of complexity. Evidence of transfer occurred from English to Spanish and vice versa. Implications. These findings are useful for the differentiation of language difference from disorder and aid in avoiding underdiagnosis of speech sound disorders. Although bilingual children maintain separation of phonological structures, a low level of interaction between their two languages exists.

Narrative Transcription Accuracy and Reliability in Two Languages.

Recent research documents the power of oral narrative language samples to predict reading achievement in both Spanish and English in English language learners (ELLs; J. Miller et al., 2006). To document their clinical utility, this article addresses issues of accuracy and reliability for transcription and analysis of oral narratives elicited from Spanish–English bilingual children. We first reviewed the unique considerations that must be made when transcribing narratives elicited from ELLs. To demonstrate that narrative transcription is clinically feasible, we documented that a single clinician can accurately transcribe childrens oral narratives and that the measures acquired from these samples are reliable. Forty oral narratives were first transcribed by a single transcriber, and then checked and retranscribed by additional transcribers. High levels of accuracy and agreement between transcribers were observed across both the English and the Spanish transcripts. Test–retest reliability was documented for 241 transcripts produced by the ELL children. Significant correlations were observed between Time 1 and Time 2 for 4 narrative measures. These data demonstrate that oral narrative data from ELL children can be accurately transcribed and the narrative measures are stable over time, providing the research foundation for clinical use of narrative language samples.

Phonological whole-word measures in 3-year-old bilingual children and their age-matched monolingual peers

The present study investigated phonological whole‐word measures and consonant accuracy in bilingual and monolingual children to investigate how target approximations drive phonological acquisition. The study included eight bilingual Spanish‐ and English‐speaking 3‐year‐olds and their monolingual peers (eight Spanish and eight American English). Phonological whole‐word measures (pMLU and Proximity) and consonant accuracy (PCC) were calculated on elicited single words. Differences were found on each measure between bilinguals and monolinguals in English, but in Spanish, only the PCC displayed differences between bilinguals and monolinguals. Bilinguals displayed language separation on the pMLU and the PCC but not the Proximity, indicating structural phonological differences between the Spanish and English of bilinguals but commensurate target approximations. This suggests that maintaining a consistent level of phonological proximity to the target is an important factor in phonological acquisition. The measures and their relationships are also discussed.

Voice onset time of voiceless bilabial and velar stops in 3-year-old bilingual children and their age-matched monolingual peers

This study investigates aspects of voice onset time (VOT) of voiceless bilabial and velar stops in monolingual and bilingual children. VOT poses a special challenge for bilingual Spanish- and English-speaking children because although this VOT distinction exists in both languages, the values differ for the same contrast across Spanish and English. Twenty-four 3-year-olds participated in this study (8 bilingual Spanish–English, 8 monolingual Spanish and 8 monolingual English). The VOT productions of /p/ and /k/ in syllable-initial stressed singleton position were compared across participants. Non-parametric statistical analyses were performed to examine differences (1) between monolinguals and bilinguals and (2) between English and Spanish. The main findings of the study were that monolingual and bilingual children generally differed on VOT in English, but not in Spanish. No statistically significant differences were found between the Spanish and the English VOT of the bilingual children, but the VOT values did differ significantly for monolingual Spanish- versus monolingual English-speaking participants. Our findings were interpreted in terms of Flege’s Speech Learning Model, finding possible evidence for equivalence classification.

Simultaneous bilingual language acquisition: The role of parental input on receptive vocabulary development

Parents often turn to educators and healthcare professionals for advice on how to best support their child’s language development. These professionals frequently suggest implementing the ‘one-parent–one-language’ approach to ensure consistent exposure to both languages. The goal of this study was to understand how language exposure influences the receptive vocabulary development of simultaneous bilingual children. To this end, we targeted nine German–French children growing up in bilingual families. Their exposure to each language within and outside the home was measured, as were their receptive vocabulary abilities in German and French. The results indicate that children are receiving imbalanced exposure to each language. This imbalance is leading to a slowed development of the receptive vocabulary in the minority language, while the majority language is keeping pace with monolingual peers. The one-parent–one-language approach does not appear to support the development of both of the child’s languages in the context described in the present study. Bilingual families may need to consider other options for supporting the bilingual language development of their children. As professionals, we need to provide parents with advice that is based on available data and that is flexible with regards to the current and future needs of the child and his family.

Language Assessment of Latino English Learning Children: A Records Abstraction Study

ABSTRACT The researchers examined how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in a small northern California school district assessed Spanish speaking English learning (EL) Latino children suspected of language impairments. Specifically we sought to (1) determine whether SLPs adhered to federal, state, and professional guidelines during initial assessments and (2) identify tests and measures used by SLPs during language assessments. The researchers conducted a records abstraction review of 88 speech-language assessment reports of Spanish speaking EL Latino children. The reports were examined for parameters of best practice as outlined in recent studies. Results indicated that for each report the SLP responsible for assessing the child failed to consider at least one best practice parameter. Although impossible to determine at this stage, it is likely that many of these children were erroneously assessed and subsequently placed in speech-language programs. Findings support the notion that many EL Latino children continue to be inappropriately assessed for language impairments.

The acquisition of allophones among bilingual Spanish-English and French-English 3-year-old children

Abstract Children are exposed to highly variable input from multiple sources within their speech community. This study examines the acquisition of allophones in Spanish and French by monolingual and bilingual children. We hypothesised that two factors would influence allophone acquisition: (1) the amount of exposure to phonological input, and (2) the degree of variability of the allophonic pattern. Thirty-four typically developing 3-year-old participated in the study. The analyses revealed that regardless of the language, the monolingual children produced similar error rates in the production of the target allophones. In contrast, the bilingual children produced different patterns of acquisition of the allophones: the Spanish–English bilinguals produced higher error rates than the monolinguals, whereas the French–English bilinguals produced lower error rates than the monolinguals. Possibilities for these differences are discussed within the context of structural complexity as well as in light of the effects of between-language interaction on bilingual phonological development.

Diagnostic accuracy of traditional measures of phonological ability for bilingual preschoolers and kindergarteners

Purpose Bilingual children whose phonological skills are evaluated using measures designed for monolingual English speakers are at risk for misdiagnosis of speech sound disorders (De Lamo White & Jin, 2011). Method Forty-four children participated in this study: 15 typically developing monolingual English speakers, 7 monolingual English speakers with phonological disorders, 14 typically developing bilingual Spanish-English speakers, and 8 bilingual children with phonological disorders. Childrens single-word speech productions were examined on Percentage Consonants Correct-Revised (Shriberg, Austin, Lewis, McSweeny, & Wilson, 1997a) and accuracy of early-, middle-, and late-developing sounds (Shriberg, 1993) in English. Consonant accuracy in English was compared between monolinguals and bilinguals with and without speech sound disorders. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to observe diagnostic accuracy of the measures examined. Results Percentage Consonants Correct-Revised was found to be a good indicator of phonological ability in both monolingual and bilingual English-speaking children at the age of 5;0. No significant differences were found between language groups on any of the measures examined. Conclusions Our results suggest that traditional measures of phonological ability for monolinguals could provide good diagnostic accuracy for bilingual children at the age of 5;0 years. These findings are preliminary, and children younger than 5;0 years should be examined for risk of misdiagnosis.

Initial consonant deletion in bilingual Spanish–English-speaking children with speech sound disorders

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to utilize a theoretical model of bilingual speech sound production as a framework for analyzing the speech of bilingual children with speech sound disorders. In order to distinguish speech difference from speech disorder, we examined between-language interaction on initial consonant deletion, an error pattern found cross-linguistically in the speech of children with speech sound disorders. Thirteen monolingual English-speaking and bilingual Spanish-and English-speaking preschoolers with speech sound disorders were audio-recorded during a single word picture-naming task and their recordings were phonetically transcribed. Initial consonant deletion errors were examined both quantitatively and qualitatively. An analysis of cross-linguistic effects and an analysis of phonemic complexity were performed. Monolingual English-speaking children exhibited initial consonant deletion at a significantly lower rate than bilingual children in their Spanish productions; however, no other quantitative differences were found across groups or languages. Qualitative differences yielded between-language interaction in the error patterns of bilingual children. Phonemic complexity appeared to play a role in initial consonant deletion. Evidence from the speech of bilingual children with speech sound disorders supports analysing bilingual speech using a cross-linguistic framework. Both theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Phonological Development in a Bilingual Arabic–English-Speaking Child With Bilateral Cochlear Implants: A Longitudinal Case Study

Purpose This longitudinal study examined the phonological development of a bilingual Arabic-English-speaking child with bilateral cochlear implants (CIs). The focus of the study was to observe the interaction between her two languages and to observe the effect of CIs on the acquisition of two speech sound systems. Method This study followed a 3;6-year-old (2;5 hearing age) bilingual Arabic-English-speaking child with bilateral CIs to age 4;4 (3;2 hearing age). Single-word samples were collected bimonthly in both languages. Phon software (Rose et al., 2006) was used to transcribe and analyze speech samples. Measures derived included Percent Consonants Correct-Revised (Shriberg & Kwiatkowski, 1994), percent vowels correct, phonetic inventory complexity, and common phonological patterns for both English and Arabic. Results Our findings supported previous research on phonological development exhibited by children with CIs, with the gradual suppression of typical and atypical error patterns and gradual increase in segmental accuracy with maturation. In addition, language interaction and separation between English and Arabic were found, supporting previous cross-linguistic work on bilingual phonological acquisition (e.g., Fabiano-Smith & Goldstein, 2010b). Conclusion Bilingual children with CIs have the capability to learn both of their languages and perform similarly to, and even surpass in accuracy, monolingual children with CIs; however, it is also possible to exhibit a slower rate of acquisition of segmental accuracy as compared to their typically developing, hearing peers. Clinical implications of bilingual early intervention are discussed.