1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism
  4. Volume 12, Issue 4
  5. Article
Volume 12, Issue 4
  • ISSN 1879-9264
  • E-ISSN: 1879-9272
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

There is no agreement regarding the relationship between narrative abilities in the two languages of a bilingual child. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that such cross-language relationships depend on age and language exposure by studying the narrative skills of 32 Indonesian-Dutch bilinguals (mean age: 8;5, range: 5;0–11;9). The narratives were elicited by means of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN) and analysed for story structure, episodic complexity and use of internal state terms (ISTs) in the home language (Indonesian) and majority language (Dutch). The results demonstrate that story structure scores in the home language (but not in the majority language) were positively related to age. Exposure measures (current Dutch/Indonesian input, current richness of Dutch/Indonesian input, and length of exposure to Dutch) did not predict the macrostructure scores. There was a significant positive cross-language relationship in story structure and episodic complexity, and this relationship became stronger as a function of length of exposure to Dutch. There was also a positive cross-lingual relation in IST use, but it became weaker with age. The results support the idea that narrative skills are transferable between languages and suggest that cross-language relationships may interact with age and exposure factors in differential ways.

© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/lab.20015.tri
2021-02-16
2024-12-09

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/lab.20015.tri
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Altman, C. , Armon-Lotem, S. , Fichman, S. , & Walters, J.
    (2016) Macrostructure, microstructure, and mental state terms in the narratives of English-Hebrew bilingual preschool children with and without specific language impairment. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37(1), 165–193. 10.1017/S0142716415000466
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000466 [Google Scholar]
  2. Bates, D. , Maechler, M. , Bolker, B. , & Walker, S.
    (2015) Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4. Journal of Statistical Software, 67(1), 1–8. 10.18637/jss.v067.i01
     https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i01 [Google Scholar]
  3. Bishop, D. V. M. , & Edmundson, A.
    (1987) Language-impaired 4-year-olds: Transient from persistent impairment. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 52(2), 156–173. 10.1044/jshd.5202.156
     https://doi.org/10.1044/jshd.5202.156 [Google Scholar]
  4. Blom, E. , Boerma, T. , Bosma, E. , Cornips, L. , Van den Heuij, K. , & Timmermeister, M.
    (2020) Cross-language distance influences vocabulary outcomes of bilingual children. First Language, 40(2), 151–171. 10.1177/0142723719892794
     https://doi.org/10.1177/0142723719892794 [Google Scholar]
  5. Blom, E. , & Bosma, E.
    (2016) The sooner the better? An investigation into the role of age of onset and its relation with transfer and exposure in bilingual Frisian-Dutch children. Journal of Child Language, 43(3), 581–607. 10.1017/S0305000915000574
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000915000574 [Google Scholar]
  6. Blom, E. , & Paradis, J.
    (2015) Sources of individual differences in the acquisition of tense inflection by English second language learners with and without specific language impairment. Applied Psycholinguistics, 36(4), 953–976. 10.1017/S014271641300057X
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S014271641300057X [Google Scholar]
  7. Boerma, T. , Leseman, P. , Timmermeister, M. , Wijnen, F. , & Blom, E.
    (2016) Narrative abilities of monolingual and bilingual children with and without language impairment: Implications for clinical practice. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 51(6), 626–638. 10.1111/1460‑6984.12234
     https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12234 [Google Scholar]
  8. Bohnacker, U.
    (2016) Tell me a story in English or Swedish: Narrative production and comprehension in bilingual preschoolers and first graders. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37(1), 19–48. 10.1017/S0142716415000405
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000405 [Google Scholar]
  9. Chen, L. , & Yan, R.
    (2011) Development and use of English evaluative expressions in narratives of Chinese-English bilinguals. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 14(4), 570–578. 10.1017/S1366728910000362
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728910000362 [Google Scholar]
  10. Cleave, P. L. , Girolametto, L. E. , Chen, X. , & Johnson, C. J.
    (2010) Narrative abilities in monolingual and dual language learning with specific language impairment. Journal of Communication Disorders, 43(6), 511–522. 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2010.05.005
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2010.05.005 [Google Scholar]
  11. Cummins, J.
    (1979) Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49(2), 222–251. 10.3102/00346543049002222
     https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543049002222 [Google Scholar]
  12. Curenton, S. M.
    (2004) The association between narratives and theory of mind for low-income pre-schoolers. Early Education and Development, 15(2), 124–146. 10.1207/s15566935eed1502_1
     https://doi.org/10.1207/s15566935eed1502_1 [Google Scholar]
  13. (2011) Understanding the landscapes of stories: The association between preschoolers’ narrative comprehension and production skills and cognitive abilities. Early Child Development and Care, 181(6), 791–808. 10.1080/03004430.2010.490946
     https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2010.490946 [Google Scholar]
  14. Curenton, S. M. , & Justice, L. M.
    (2004) African American and Caucasian preschoolers’ use of decontextualized language: Literate language features in oral narratives. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 35(3), 240–253. 10.1044/0161‑1461(2004/023)
     https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2004/023) [Google Scholar]
  15. De Houwer, A.
    (2009) Bilingual first language acquisition. Bristol, etc.: Multilingual Matters. 10.21832/9781847691507
     https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847691507 [Google Scholar]
  16. Fichman, S. , Altman, C. , Voloskovich, A. , & Armon-Lotem, S.
    (2017) Story grammar elements and causal relations in the narratives of Russian-Hebrew bilingual children with SLI and typical development. Journal of Communication Disorders, 69, 72–93. 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2017.08.001
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2017.08.001 [Google Scholar]
  17. Fiestas, C. E. , & Peña, E. D.
    (2004) Narrative discourse in bilingual children: Language and task effects. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 35(2), 155–168. 10.1044/0161‑1461(2004/016)
     https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2004/016) [Google Scholar]
  18. Fusté-Herrmann, B. , Silliman, E. R. , Bahr, R. H. , Fasnacht, K. S. , & Federico, J. E.
    (2006) Mental state verb production in the oral narratives of English- and Spanish-speaking preadolescents: An exploratory study of lexical diversity and depth. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 21(1), 44–60. 10.1111/j.1540‑5826.2006.00206.x
     https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5826.2006.00206.x [Google Scholar]
  19. Gagarina, N.
    (2016) Narratives of Russian-German preschool and primary school bilinguals: Rasskaz and Erzaehlung . Applied Psycholinguistics, 37(1), 91–122. 10.1017/S0142716415000430
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000430 [Google Scholar]
  20. Gagarina, N. , Klop, D. , Kunnari, S. , Tantele, K. , Valimaa, T. , Balciuniene, I. , Bohnacker, U. , & Walters, J.
    (2012) MAIN: Multilingual assessment instrument for narratives. ZAS papers in linguistics56: www.zas.gwz-berlin.de/zaspil56.html
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Goldberg, H. , Paradis, J. , & Crago, M.
    (2008) Lexical acquisition over time in minority L1 children learning English as a L2. Applied Psycholinguistics, 29(1), 1–25.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Govindarajan, K. , & Paradis, J.
    (2019) Narrative abilities of bilingual children with and without Developmental Language Disorder (SLI): Differentiation and the role of age and input factors. Journal of Communication Disorders, 77, 1–16. 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2018.10.001
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2018.10.001 [Google Scholar]
  23. Greenhalgh, K. S. , & Strong, C. J.
    (2001) Literate language features in spoken narratives of children with typical language and children with language impairments. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 32(2), 114–125. 10.1044/0161‑1461(2001/010)
     https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2001/010) [Google Scholar]
  24. Gutiérrez-Clellen, V. F.
    (2002) Narratives in two languages: Assessing performance of bilingual children. Linguistics and Education, 13(2), 175–197. 10.1016/S0898‑5898(01)00061‑4
     https://doi.org/10.1016/S0898-5898(01)00061-4 [Google Scholar]
  25. Hipfner-Boucher, K. , Milburn, T. , Weitzman, E. , Greenberg, J. , Pelletier, J. , & Girolametto, L.
    (2015) Narrative abilities in subgroups of English language learners and monolingual peers. International Journal of Bilingualism, 19(6), 677–692. 10.1177/1367006914534330
     https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006914534330 [Google Scholar]
  26. Kapalková, S. , Polišenská, K. , Marková, L. , & Fenton, J.
    (2016) Narrative abilities in early successive bilingual Slovak–English children: A cross-language comparison. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37(1), 145–164. 10.1017/S0142716415000454
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000454 [Google Scholar]
  27. Klamer, M. , & Moro, F.
    (2020) What is “natural” speech? Comparing free narratives and Frog stories in Indonesia. Language Documentation and Conservation, 14, 238–313.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Krasnoshchekova, S. , & Kashleva, K.
    (2019) Narrative competence of adult L2 Russian learners. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 48(1), 617–641. 10.1007/s10936‑018‑9622‑3
     https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-018-9622-3 [Google Scholar]
  29. Kunnari, S. , Välimaa, T. , & Laukkanen-Nevala, P.
    (2016) Macrostructure in the narratives of monolingual Finnish and bilingual Finnish-Swedish children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37(1), 123–144. 10.1017/S0142716415000442
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000442 [Google Scholar]
  30. Lindgren, J.
    (2018) Developing narrative competence: Swedish, Swedish-German and Swedish-Turkish children aged 4–6. (Studia Linguistica Upsaliensia 19). Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. MacWhinney, B.
    (2000) The CHILDES project: Tools for analyzing talk. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. McLaughlin, B.
    (1978) Second language acquisition in childhood. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Montanari, S.
    (2004) The development of narrative competence in the L1 and L2 of Spanish-English bilingual children. International Journal of Bilingualism, 8(4), 449–497. 10.1177/13670069040080040301
     https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069040080040301 [Google Scholar]
  34. Montrul, S.
    (2010) Current issues in heritage language acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 30, 3–23. 10.1017/S0267190510000103
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190510000103 [Google Scholar]
  35. (2012) Is the heritage language like a second language?. Eurosla Yearbook, 12(1), 1–29. 10.1075/eurosla.12.03mon
     https://doi.org/10.1075/eurosla.12.03mon [Google Scholar]
  36. Moro, F. R.
    (2016) Dynamics of Ambon Malay: Comparing Ambon and the Netherlands. (LOT Dissertation Series 422). Utrecht: LOT.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Öztekin, B.
    (2019) Typical and atypical language development in Turkish-Swedish bilingual children aged 4–7 (Studia Linguistica Upsaliensia 25). Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Paradis, J. , Tulpar, Y. , & Arppe, A.
    (2016) Chinese L1 children’s English L2 verb morphology over time: Individual variation in long-term outcomes. Journal of Child Language, 43(3), 553–580. 10.1017/S0305000915000562
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000915000562 [Google Scholar]
  39. Paris, A. H. , & Paris, S. G.
    (2003) Assessing narrative comprehension in young children. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(1), 36–76. 10.1598/RRQ.38.1.3
     https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.38.1.3 [Google Scholar]
  40. Pearson, B. Z.
    (2002) Narrative competence among monolingual and bilingual school children in Miami. In D. K. Oller & R. E. Eilers (Eds.), Language and literacy in bilingual children (pp.135–174). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. 10.21832/9781853595721‑008
     https://doi.org/10.21832/9781853595721-008 [Google Scholar]
  41. Petersen, D. B. , Thomsen, B. , Guiberson, M. M. , & Spencer, T. D.
    (2016) Cross-linguistic interactions from second language to first language as the result of individualized narrative language intervention with children with and without language impairment. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37(3), 703–724. 10.1017/S0142716415000211
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716415000211 [Google Scholar]
  42. Polinsky, M.
    (2008) Heritage language narratives. In D. Brinton , O. Kagan & S. Bauckus (Eds.), Heritage language education: A new field emerging (pp.149–164). New York: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Schwartz, M. , & Shaul, Y.
    (2013) Narrative development among language-minority children: The role of bilingual versus monolingual preschool education. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 26(1), 36–51. 10.1080/07908318.2012.760568
     https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2012.760568 [Google Scholar]
  44. Silliman, E. R. , Bahr, R. H. , Brea, M. R. , Hnath-Chisolm, T. , & Mahecha, N. R.
    (2002) Spanish and English proficiency in the linguistic encoding of mental states in narrative retellings. Linguistics and Education, 13(2), 199–234. 10.1016/S0898‑5898(01)00062‑6
     https://doi.org/10.1016/S0898-5898(01)00062-6 [Google Scholar]
  45. Squires, K. E. , Lugo-Neris, M. J. , Peña, E. D. , Bedore, L. , Bohman, T. M. , & Gillam, R. B.
    (2014) Story retelling by bilingual children with language impairments and typically developing controls. International Journal of Communication Disorders, 49, 60–74. 10.1111/1460‑6984.12044
     https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12044 [Google Scholar]
  46. Thordardottir, E.
    (2019) Amount trumps timing in bilingual vocabulary acquisition: Effects of input in simultaneous and sequential school-age bilinguals. International Journal of Bilingualism, 23(1), 236–255. 10.1177/1367006917722418
     https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006917722418 [Google Scholar]
  47. Trabasso, T. , & Nickels, M.
    (1992) The development of goal plans of action in the narration of a picture story. Discourse Processes, 15(3), 249–275. 10.1080/01638539209544812
     https://doi.org/10.1080/01638539209544812 [Google Scholar]
  48. Tribushinina, E. , Mak, W. M. , Andreiushina, E. , Dubinkina, E. , & Sanders, T.
    (2017) Connective use by bilinguals and monolinguals with SLI. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 20(1), 98–113. 10.1017/S1366728915000577
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728915000577 [Google Scholar]
  49. Tuller, L.
    (2015) Clinical use of parental questionnaires in multilingual contexts. In S. Armon-Lotem , J. de Jong & N. Meir (Eds.), Assessing multilingual children: Disentangling bilingualism from language impairment (pp.95–121). Bristol, etc.: Multilingual Matters. 10.21832/9781783093137‑013
     https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783093137-013 [Google Scholar]
  50. Uccelli, P. , & Páez, M. M.
    (2007) Narrative and vocabulary development of bilingual children from kindergarten to first grade: Developmental changes and associations among English and Spanish skills. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 38(3), 225–236. 10.1044/0161‑1461(2007/024)
     https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2007/024) [Google Scholar]
  51. Ukrainetz, T. A. , Justice, L. M. , Kaderavek, J. N. , Eisenberg, S. L. , Gillam, R. B. , & Harm, H. M.
    (2005) The development of expressive elaboration in fictional narratives. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 48(6), 1363–1377. 10.1044/1092‑4388(2005/095)
     https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2005/095) [Google Scholar]
  52. Unsworth, S.
    (2005) Child L2, adult L2, child L1: Differences and similarities. A Study on the acquisition of direct object scrambling in Dutch. PhD thesis, Utrecht University.
     [Google Scholar]
  53. (2013) Assessing the role of current and cumulative exposure in simultaneous bilingual acquisition: The case of Dutch gender. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 16, 86–110. 10.1017/S1366728912000284
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728912000284 [Google Scholar]
  54. Wellman, H. , Cross, D. , & Watson, J.
    (2001) Meta-analysis of theory-of-mind development: The truth about false belief. Child Development, 72(3), 655–684. 10.1111/1467‑8624.00304
     https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00304 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/lab.20015.tri
Loading
Macrostructure in the narratives of Indonesian-Dutch bilinguals
Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism 12, 540 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.20015.tri
/content/journals/10.1075/lab.20015.tri
/content/journals/10.1075/lab.20015.tri
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): bilingualism; cross-language transfer; internal state terms; story grammar; structural complexity

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error