The advantages of jointly considering first and second language vocabulary skills among emergent bilingual children

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional study investigated first (L1) and second (L2) language receptive and expressive vocabulary in a sample of 542 typically developing bilingual children of immigrants (age range 6–13), coming from six different L1 backgrounds in Norway. Results demonstrated that children’s L1 and L2 vocabulary skills increased with age. From a deficit perspective, the study confirms that in each age group, there is a vocabulary gap between the ranges of Norwegian vocabulary known by Norwegian monolinguals and by Norwegian L2 children. At the same time, when an additive, conceptual scoring approach (taking into account bilingual children’s known L1 and/or L2 vocabulary) was used, the persistent gap in vocabulary knowledge diminished or disappeared altogether. This finding is most evident in older age groups. Conceptual scoring provides a more sensitive and positive picture of bilingual children’s overall range of vocabulary. The findings demonstrate a need for more nuanced assessment procedures of semantic knowledge across children’s’ L1 and L2.

KEYWORDS:

• Conceptual score
• assessment
• language proficiency
• receptive and expressive vocabularies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Because of the low response rate, we were unable to use demographic information in the analyses of the full sample.

2 Permission for translation for research purposes in this project was provided by GL Assessment for the British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS-II) and by the authors E. Ottem and J. Frost for Expressive Vocabulary.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

May-Britt Monsrud

May-Britt Monsrud is a senior adviser at Statped, Department of Speech and Language Disorders, associate professor at Metropolitan University of Oslo and a PhD candidate at Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Norway. Her academic interests include assessment and learning difficulties in the areas of developmental language disorders and dyslexia of bilingual children.

Veslemøy Rydland

Veslemøy Rydland is a professor at Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway. Her research, publications and lectures focus on first and second language acquisition and best practice for bilingual preschool children.

Esther Geva

Esther Geva is a professor of University of Toronto (OISE), Canada. Her research and publications focus on developmental issues, learning difficulties and best practices concerning language and literacy skills in children from various immigrant and minority backgrounds. She has published extensively in these areas and has served on a high number of advisories, policy, and review committees concerned with language and literacy development in ethnically and linguistically diverse children.

Anne Cathrine Thurmann-Moe

Anne Cathrine Thurmann-Moe is a senior adviser at Statped, Department of Speech and Language Disorders and a PhD candidate at Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Norway. Her focus is on dyslexia, multilingual development, and education.

Solveig-Alma Halaas Lyster

Solveig-Alma Halaas Lyster is a professor emeritus at Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Norway. She has published a high number of peer-refereed articles and textbooks in the field of language and literacy development and disorders, dyslexia and served in review committees.