Multilingualism

Question 1

How many dual language learning factors are there?

Answer 1

6: Amount of Experience, Context for each use, Family Values, Community Issues, Transfer, and Motivation

Question 2

Amount of Experience is…

Answer 2

the most key part of success

how much and what kind of experience learners have in each language

Question 3

Context for use of each language:

Answer 3

-If individual is exposed to one register at home- modality is going to be very verbal, register is very relaxed environment, topics are general
-Necessary to consider in what context language learners are experiencing both languages (school, home, only with grandparents, etc.)

Question 4

Family values are…

Answer 4

-What does the family want and prioritize in their language use and goals for the family

Question 5

Community Issues (local and nationwide)

Answer 5

-Very little support in Cville for learning any other languages but English
-Signs, environmental print, conversations
-Bigger cities have more language diversity

Question 6

Transfer means…

Answer 6

-As a learner acquires skills in one language, that is likely to influence the acquisition of skills in the other language

-If you have the concepts and mental representations in one language, that will then serve as the blueprint for learning the same concept

Question 7

a greater level of MOTIVATION = _____________________

Answer 7

More likely to learn the language

All factors that fall under dual language learning impact motivation

Question 8

4 Considerations of Multi-Lingual Language Learning

Answer 8

Dual Language learning factors, Simultaneous Acquisition, Successive Acquisition, School aged factors

Question 9

3 parts of simultaneous acquisition

Answer 9

Timing, Quality and Quantity of Input, and Rate of Development

Question 10

Timing includes…

Answer 10

• Experiencing and learning more than 1 language since infancy/birth

-Bilingual- not just strictly applicable to only 2 languages, could be multi.

Question 11

Rate of Development is important because

Answer 11

There are a lot of false claims and research out there that supports incorrect findings about how children develop more than one language.

These ideas are rooted in ethnocentrism and is based on the false assumption that language learners are only capable of learning one language.

It is more common for kids to be learning more than one language across the globe, and research supports that both languages will develop at the same rate when equal amount of input is given from both languages

Question 12

What theory is related to successive acquisition?

Answer 12

Owens’ Stages (3)

Question 13

In Owens’ stages, how does language become acquired?

Answer 13

Learns one language, then sometime after infancy/toddlerhood, they learn another language

Question 14

What are Owen’s 3 stages?

Answer 14

Social relations, “Messenger”, and Focus on Structure

Question 15

Social relations explain….

Answer 15

How as you acquire a second language, the first aspects you learn will be parts of language assoc with social activities.

This includes: words, syntax activities, pragmatics associated with basic ADLs

Question 16

The messenger stage is

Answer 16

Where the speaker is focusing on the message, so they use whatever words and structures across both languages to get the message across.

This stage lasts for a while!

Question 17

Focus on structure happens when?

Answer 17

Grammar is the LAST part of acquiring language (this fits with everything else we have been talking about!)

Question 18

School aged factors include….

Answer 18

Different types of language skills that recognize knowing how to count and name colors is not necessarily a functional skill

Question 19

School aged factors can be broken into 2 types:

Answer 19

Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
& Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)

Question 20

BICS explains how a child who is learning English as a 2nd language acquires _____________ first in English

Answer 20

language associated with basic interactions first (supporting interactions during recess, out in community, etc. )

Question 21

Children can quickly get to a level of BICS that allows ________________

Answer 21

Them to blend in with the English as 1st lang children, and flow along into the school day.

Question 22

Once a child has MASTERED BICS, they can ________________

Answer 22

Easily disappear amongst the crowd of EL1 students- however we cannot let them fly under the radar. BICS only can get a student so far.

Question 23

In BICS, functional language skill is tied to ____________________

Answer 23

Basic interactions that are repeatedly experienced throughout the day

Question 24

In CALP, it is important to have ____________

Answer 24

A level of language that will support academic achievement

Question 25

The level of language used in CALP includes _______________

Answer 25

Syntax, Morphology, Vocabulary- which allows you to dive into a variety of academic topics (science, social studies, algebra, reading, writing, etc.)

Question 26

Screening for CALP

Answer 26

Screening a child for language dominance is not sufficient, it is important to screen for both BICS and CALP to dive deeper

Question 27

Modified brain organization effects language how?

Answer 27

Individuals who speak more than one language have different brain organization than those who speak only 1 language (brain pathways are created from experience)

Question 28

Bilingual cognitive superiority proves what?

Answer 28

Bilingualism aids itself to success in a variety of categories

Question 29

In what categories is Bilingualism beneficial?

Answer 29

Classifying objects
Creativity
Concept formation
Metalinguistic awareness
problem solving
social and linguistic sensitivity
Understanding complex instructions

Question 30

Bilingual cognitive superiority research findings

Answer 30

Being questioned,
meta-level awareness is needed.

Question 31

Publication bias in Bilingual cognitive superiority research

Answer 31

-Priority of publishing meaningful stuff since publications have been around. For many years, there is a priority placed on finding differences.
*Studies that find a difference are more likely to be published, rather than studies that do not find a difference
*It is possible that some of these studies may be in literature because only studies that show a difference have been published
> A disproportionate number of students are conducted with college students as participants. This is not a bad thing, but college students are highly intelligent and not an accurate representative sample of society. Most studied due to easy access by professors.
> Always take evidence with a grain of salt, you are the consumer so take that evidence and see what it really means

Question 32

Memory in bilingual speakers

Answer 32

Some memories seem to be more accessible in one language than the other

We are just barely beginning to understand the brain of bilingual speakers!