What do bilingual infants actually hear? Evaluating measures of language input to bilingual‐learning 10‐month‐olds. Issue 2 (29th October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Orena, Adriel John; Byers‐Heinlein, Krista; Polka, Linda
• Is Part Of: Developmental science. Volume 23:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2019-10-29
• Subjects: bilingualism -- infancy -- language experience -- language input -- LENA -- parent reports; Developmental psychology -- Periodicals; Psychology, Comparative -- Periodicals; 155
• DOI: 10.1111/desc.12901
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1363-755X

Abstract

Abstract: Examining how bilingual infants experience their dual language input is important for understanding bilingual language acquisition. To assess these language experiences, researchers typically conduct language interviews with caregivers. However, little is known about the reliability of these parent reports in describing how bilingual children actually experience dual language input. Here, we explored the quantitative nature of dual language input to bilingual infants. Furthermore, we described some of the heterogeneity of bilingual exposure in a sample of French–English bilingual families. Participants were 21 families with a 10‐month‐old infant residing in Montréal, Canada. First, we conducted language interviews with the caregivers. Then, each family completed three full‐day recordings at home using the Language Environment Analysis recording system. Results showed that children's proportion exposure to each language was consistent across the two measurement approaches, indicating that parent reports are reliable for assessing a bilingual child's language experiences. Further exploratory analyses revealed three unique findings: (a) there can be considerable variability in the absolute amount of input among infants hearing the same proportion of input, (b) infants can hear different proportions of language input when considering infant‐directed versus overheard speech, (c) proportion of language input can vary by day, depending on who is caring for the infant. We conclude that collecting naturalistic recordings is complementary to parent‐report measures for assessing infant's language experiences and for establishing bilingual profiles. Abstract : In this study, we collected daylong recordings from bilingual families with a 10‐month‐old infant. Results showed that parents were reliable in reporting the proportion of languages their child hears at home. Further, this corpus revealed several unique characteristics of the bilingual input, including the decoupling of absolute and proportional input, the consistency of bilingual input across speakers and days, and differences in the exposure to each language across infant‐directed and overheard speech.