Oral and written language abilities in young Spanish/English bilinguals. (February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ardila, Alfredo; Rosselli, Mónica; Ortega, Alexandra; Lang, Merike; Torres, Valeria L
• Is Part Of: International journal of bilingualism. Volume 23:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 296
• Page End: 312
• Publication Date: 2019-02
• Subjects: Spanish/English bilingualism -- second-generation immigrants -- grammar -- lexicon -- written bilingualism; Bilingualism -- Periodicals; Bilingualism -- Research -- Periodicals; Language acquisition -- Periodicals; 306.446072
• DOI: 10.1177/1367006917720089
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-0069

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare oral and written language abilities in English and Spanish of young bilinguals residing in the USA. Methodology: Sixty-two participants (mean age = 23.7; SD = 3.50), consisting of 42 bilinguals (born of Spanish-speaking parents) and 20 English monolinguals, were administered a battery of 15 language tasks. Analysis: Bilinguals were divided into two groups: (a) US-born (simultaneous bilinguals who had been exposed to English and Spanish since birth and educated primarily in English) and (b) Latin American-born (early sequential bilinguals who were educated in Spanish and English, although exposed to Spanish at birth and to English before the age of 10). Findings: Higher lexical ability was demonstrated in English compared to Spanish in bilinguals. Performance in grammar tests of the two languages was inconsistent. Reading/writing ability in English was similar for participants born in the USA and in Latin America; however, participants who were born in Latin America had significantly higher scores for Spanish reading/writing tasks. When comparing performance in English tests, it was found that scores for bilingual participants were similar to those of English monolinguals. Originality: The current study directly compares oral and written language abilities in two subgroups of young Spanish/English bilinguals. Three language dimensions are studied: lexicon/grammar; oral/written language; and language knowledge/language use. Implications: Our results suggest that bilingualism does not interfere with normal linguistic ability in English. Limitations: The current study was carried out in a specific bilingual context. Generalization of these results should be done with caution.