Ob Italienisch Deutsch fördert: Warum Italienisch sprechende Kinder schneller Deutsch erwerben als einige andere Migrantengruppen in Deutschland

In this study, some extralinguistic factors were examined which might influence the language acquisition process in Italian and other immigrant preschool children acquiring German as their second or third language. The following methods of the language assessment were utilized: (a) a modified, validated version of language test Marburger Sprachscreening and (b) a classification of children as needing or not needing additional educational support in learning German. Italians scored significantly higher on vocabulary and grammar than other immigrant children. This can be attributed to the fact that Italians attended German nursery schools and played with German children after the daycare center time significantly more often than other immigrants. Immigrant groups with the most advanced German skills were English speaking children and Greeks. Linguistically weakest groups were Turks and Arabs. For these groups, dependence of the language acquisition process on extralinguistic factors was also shown.