In the following paper, I will examine the field of bilingualism in children’s speech production and the phenomenon of code-switching when children speak to a certain interlocutor. More specifically, I am going to focus on bilingual children’s language choice patterns and especially on what influence parents’ responses and reactions to code-switching their children have. Apart from that, I will consider other factors that may affect the choice of language in bilingual children’s parent-directed speech.
Specifying that, within my paper I will scrutinize the question “Do parental discourse strategies influence the language choice of bilingual children?”.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Theoretical Background
3. Previous Research
4. Research Question and Hypothesis
5. Studies
5.1 Mishina-Mori: A longitudinal analysis of language choice in bilingual children: The role of parental input and interaction
5.2 Meng and Miyamoto: Input and output in code-switching: A case study of a Japanese-Chinese bilingual infant
5.3 Nicoladis and Genesee: Parental Discourse and Codemixing in Bilingual Children
6. Results
6.1 Mishina-Mori: A longitudinal analysis of language choice in bilingual children: The role of parental input and interaction
6.2 Meng and Miyamoto: Input and output in code-switching: A case study of a Japanese-Chinese bilingual infant
6.3 Nicoladis and Genesee: Parental Discourse and Codemixing in Bilingual Children
7. Discussion
8. Conclusion
9. References
10. Appendix
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper investigates the extent to which parental discourse strategies and parental input influence the language choice patterns and code-switching frequency of bilingual children, specifically examining whether parental reactions to code-switching serve as a primary determinant in children's language behavior.
- Analysis of the "Parental Discourse Hypothesis" in early bilingual development.
- Evaluation of the "Modeling Hypothesis" regarding parental input and child language output.
- Comparison of longitudinal case studies across different bilingual settings.
- Examination of individual sociolinguistic factors and language dominance.
Excerpt from the Book
2. Theoretical Background
First of all, the term bilingualism seems straightforward. But there are several different approaches to what bilingualism really is. According to Webster’s dictionary (1961), bilingualism is defined as “having or using two languages especially as spoken with the fluency of characteristics of a native speaker”. This definition suggests that a bilingual is basically the sum of two monolinguals with native-like competence. When we conduct the definition of Mohanty (1994, 13) for example, we get the idea, that native-like competence might not be a decisive factor for being a bilingual “bilingual persons or communities are those with an ability to meet the communicative demands of the self and the society in their normal functioning in two or more languages […]”. Keeping that in mind, one can already see, that bilingualism is not as easily defined as it seems. For the purpose of this paper, it is enough, however, to stick to the simplest definition of balanced bilinguals as “[being able to] speak two languages equally well because you have used them since you were very young” (OALD, 2005, 139).
Code-switching is an important part of being bilingual since many speakers tend to switch between their two or more languages for the purpose of easier communication, or communicative expectations from their interlocutor. In general, code-switching as such is difficult to define, since it covers a broad range of phenomena (Bullock & Toribio 2009, 2). First of all, code-switching can appear as just “the insertion of single words” (Bullock & Toribio 2009, 2) up to “the alternation of languages for larger segments of discourse” (Bullock & Toribio 2009, 2). Everything in between can therefore be related to as code-switching. Adding to that, code-switching is a highly individual way of using two languages. Bilinguals in every proficiency engage in code-switching, have different sociolinguistic backgrounds, diverse types of language contact settings, and can be developed differently when it comes to their cognitive capability (Bullock & Toribio 2009, 2).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the study, defining the research question regarding the influence of parental discourse strategies on bilingual children's speech patterns.
2. Theoretical Background: This section provides definitions for key concepts like bilingualism, code-switching, and introduces the Parental Discourse Hypothesis and the Modeling Hypothesis.
3. Previous Research: This chapter contextualizes the study by reviewing foundational work by Lanza, Kasuya, and others, highlighting the impact of parental interaction styles.
4. Research Question and Hypothesis: The author defines the primary research question and states the expectation that parental discourse strategies significantly impact children's language choice.
5. Studies: This section details three distinct longitudinal studies concerning Japanese/English and Japanese/Chinese bilingual children to serve as the basis for analysis.
6. Results: This chapter presents the data findings from the three examined studies, comparing parental input against child linguistic output.
7. Discussion: The author interprets the conflicting results found in the studies, debating the role of language dominance versus parental discourse.
8. Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the evidence, noting the complexity of the topic and the lack of a definitive answer due to individual participant differences.
9. References: A comprehensive list of source materials used to construct this term paper.
10. Appendix: This section provides tables and figures illustrating data trends from the cited studies.
Keywords
Bilingualism, Code-switching, Parental Discourse Strategies, Parental Input, Language Choice, First Language Acquisition, Modeling Hypothesis, Language Dominance, Child Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Proficiency, Monolingualism, Intra-sentential, Inter-sentential, Interactional Patterns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how parental discourse strategies and behaviors influence the language choice and code-switching patterns of bilingual children.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The work focuses on the intersection of parental input, discourse strategies (such as the Minimal Grasp or Move On strategies), and the child's linguistic development.
What is the primary research question?
The central question is: "Do parental discourse strategies influence the language choice of bilingual children?"
What scientific methods are utilized in this paper?
The author performs a literature review and a comparative analysis of data from three existing longitudinal case studies on bilingual children.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers theoretical definitions, a review of previous academic research, detailed examinations of three specific studies, and a discussion of the contradictory results found in those studies.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include bilingualism, code-switching, parental discourse strategies, the Modeling Hypothesis, and language dominance.
How does the "Move On" strategy impact children according to the text?
The "Move On" strategy, which allows the child to continue the conversation without correction, is often associated with a more bilingual context and higher rates of code-switching by the child.
What did Nicoladis and Genesee (1998) conclude regarding the Parental Discourse Hypothesis?
They found that parental discourse strategies had little effect on the children's code-switching rates, suggesting that factors like language dominance may be more influential.
Why are results regarding parental influence occasionally contradictory?
The author notes that inconsistencies arise due to the highly individual sociolinguistic backgrounds of the participants, their varying cognitive abilities, and the difficulty of designing studies with identical prerequisites.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2022, Bilingualism. Code-switching, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1488757
