Monolingual and Bilingual Children With and Without Primary Language Impairment: Core Vocabulary Comparison

Abstract

Core vocabulary is an important component of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for school-aged children who have complex communication needs. One method of identifying core vocabulary for these individuals is to study the vocabulary of speaking children. To date, the use of core vocabulary by speaking bilingual children has not been well documented. The present study compared the core vocabulary used by children who are monolingual (French), and bilingual (French–English; English–French). We also gathered and compared language samples from French-speaking children identified as having primary language impairment (PLI), with the goal of better understanding the language differences demonstrated by children with this disability. Language samples were collected from a total of 57 children within a school setting, in a region where French is a minority language. Contrary to the hypothesis, the analysis of language transcripts revealed that there were no important differences between the core words from the groups studied.

Keywords::

• Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
• Core vocabulary
• Bilingualism
• Primary language impairment
• Children

Author Note

This research was performed as part of the first author's doctoral dissertation.

The authors would like to thank the Conseil Scolaire Public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario (CSPGNO) for the partnership that allowed this research to be conducted.

Thank you to the research assistants who participated in the data collection and analysis: Mélissa Therrien, Karine Daoust, Melissa Lariviere, Williane Kanyamuneza, Danelle Lefebvre, Michelle Brouillette, Ashley DeCaen, and Maxine Perrin. The authors would also like to thank Ali Reguigui and Simon Laflamme for their guidance.

Note

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

This research was made possible through a partial financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the official views of Health Canada.

Notes

1. Sony Digital Voice Recorder Model ICD-PX312, Sony Electronics Inc., Tokyo, Japan c., 2014.