Vocabulary knowledge is one of the most important aspects of language development. For bilingual students, early vocabulary development often predicts their future bilingual success. This paper examines early bilingua...Vocabulary knowledge is one of the most important aspects of language development. For bilingual students, early vocabulary development often predicts their future bilingual success. This paper examines early bilingual receptive vocabulary knowledge of ethnic minority children(N=135) from two large ethnic language communities(Uyghur and Kazak) in three national-level povertystricken counties in Xinjiang, China. The children’s bilingual vocabulary knowledge was assessed using translated versions of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV(PPTV-IV) in Putonghua(PTH) and their mother tongue(MT) Uyghur or Kazak. Data were analyzed through four General Linear Models(GLM). The analyses showed that both groups scored higher in MT vocabulary knowledge than that in their PTH, although the Kazak students’ MT vocabulary scores were lower than those of the Uyghurs. While gender, age, L1, or residence location were not significant factors in differences across the two groups in PTH, among the Kazak children, the main effect of age was significant in MT;and among Uyghur children, residence location had a significant effect. The two groups also differed in patterns of acquisition in different parts of speech(nouns, verbs, and attributes) with Uyghur children performing strongest in MT and PTH verbs. The findings have important implications for ensuring the quality of early bilingual education among impoverished Chinese minority communities.展开更多
Bilingual children＇ s word awareness can reflect the impact of bilingualism on language cognition from the aspect of psycholinguistics. The current studies on bilingual children＇s word awareness both at home and abr...Bilingual children＇ s word awareness can reflect the impact of bilingualism on language cognition from the aspect of psycholinguistics. The current studies on bilingual children＇s word awareness both at home and abroad show that there exist quite opposite points of views： bilingual disadvantage and bilingual advantage. The interpretation mechanisms of interference effect, word frequency, and mutual exclusivity constraint are used to support the bilingual disadvantage; while the interpretation mechanisms of bilingual advantage include sound coding, short-term memory, and inhibitory control. In effect, there is no negative impact of bilingualism on children＇s word awareness, and the so-called negative effects only exist on the theoretical aspect of research. The development of children＇s word awareness is influenced by many factors including age of acquisition, learning environment, and bilingual proficiency, etc.展开更多
文摘Vocabulary knowledge is one of the most important aspects of language development. For bilingual students, early vocabulary development often predicts their future bilingual success. This paper examines early bilingual receptive vocabulary knowledge of ethnic minority children(N=135) from two large ethnic language communities(Uyghur and Kazak) in three national-level povertystricken counties in Xinjiang, China. The children’s bilingual vocabulary knowledge was assessed using translated versions of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV(PPTV-IV) in Putonghua(PTH) and their mother tongue(MT) Uyghur or Kazak. Data were analyzed through four General Linear Models(GLM). The analyses showed that both groups scored higher in MT vocabulary knowledge than that in their PTH, although the Kazak students’ MT vocabulary scores were lower than those of the Uyghurs. While gender, age, L1, or residence location were not significant factors in differences across the two groups in PTH, among the Kazak children, the main effect of age was significant in MT;and among Uyghur children, residence location had a significant effect. The two groups also differed in patterns of acquisition in different parts of speech(nouns, verbs, and attributes) with Uyghur children performing strongest in MT and PTH verbs. The findings have important implications for ensuring the quality of early bilingual education among impoverished Chinese minority communities.
基金Acknowledgements： This study was supported by National Social Science Foundation （grant number 14BYY060）, a China Postdoctoral Science Foundation （grant number 2012M520057）, and a Startup Fund for Advanced Talents of Nanjing Forestry University （grant number GXL022）.
文摘Bilingual children＇ s word awareness can reflect the impact of bilingualism on language cognition from the aspect of psycholinguistics. The current studies on bilingual children＇s word awareness both at home and abroad show that there exist quite opposite points of views： bilingual disadvantage and bilingual advantage. The interpretation mechanisms of interference effect, word frequency, and mutual exclusivity constraint are used to support the bilingual disadvantage; while the interpretation mechanisms of bilingual advantage include sound coding, short-term memory, and inhibitory control. In effect, there is no negative impact of bilingualism on children＇s word awareness, and the so-called negative effects only exist on the theoretical aspect of research. The development of children＇s word awareness is influenced by many factors including age of acquisition, learning environment, and bilingual proficiency, etc.
