Chapter 5: The Bilingual Child

By: 

Teddy Fiktorius (F5221 2025)

Postgraduate Study of English Language EducationTeacher Training and Education Faculty

University of TanjungpuraPontianak

2013

Outline1. Introduction2. Types & Studies of bilingual acquisition in

childhood3. Interference, transfer, and universals4. Code-switching5. Personal and attitudinal factors affecting

children’s bilingualism6. Later childhood bilingualism

Introduction

routes in bilingual acquisition 

Up to age 3 after age 3 or adults

in adolescence

Focus of this chapter ‘natural’

6 types Without formal instruction

Research finding-based e.g. migrant workers explanation & their children

Types of bilingual acquisition in childhood

Type 1: One person - one language

The studies:

Author Mother language

Father language

Community language

Ronjar (1913)

German French French

Leopold (1939-1949)

English German English

Taeschner (1983)

German Italian Italian

Parents Each parent has a different native language and a degree of competence in the language of the other

Community The language of one parent is the dominant language of the community

Strategy Each parent speaks their own native language to the child form the birth

Types of bilingual acquisition in childhood

Type 2: Non-dominant home language

The study:

Author Mother language

Father language

Community language

Fantini (1985)

Spanish English English

Parents Parents have different native languages

Community The language of one parent is the dominant language of the community

Strategy Both parents speak the non-dominant language to the child and the child is fully exposed to the dominant language only when outside home

Types of bilingual acquisition in childhood

Type 3: Non-dominant home language without community support

The studies:

Author Mother language

Father language

Community language

Haugen (1953)

Norwegian Norwegian English

Oksaar (1977)

Estonian Estonian Swedish/German

Ruke-Dravina (1967)

Latvian Latvian Swedish

Pavlovitch (1920)

Servian Servian French

Parents Parents share the same native language

Community The dominant language is not of his parents

Strategy The parents speak their own language to the child

Types of bilingual acquisition in childhood

Type 4: Double non-dominant home language without community support

The study:Author Mother

languageFather language

Community language

Elwert (1959) English German Italian

Parents Parents have different native languages

Community The dominant language is different from either of the parent’s languages

Strategy The parents speak their own language to the child

Types of bilingual acquisition in childhood

Type 5: Non-native parents

The study:

Author Mother language

Father language

Community language

Saunders (1982)

English English (German)

English

Parents Parents share the same native language

Community The dominant language is the same as that of the parents

Strategy One of the parents always addresses the child in a language which is not his/her native language

Types of bilingual acquisition in childhood

Type 6: Mixed languages

The study:

Author Mother language

Father language

Community language

Tabouret-Keller (1962)

French/German

French/German

French/German

Ellul (1978) Maltese/ English

Maltese/ English

Maltese/ English

Smith (1935) English English Chinese

Burling (1959)

English English Garo

Parents Parents are bilinguals

Community Sectors of community may also be bilingual.

Strategy Parents code-switch and mix languages

Interference, transfer, and universals

Bilingualism

Child’s acquisition pattern

Cross-linguistic influence

Interference

One lexical system (in the early stages)

Fantini (1985) : fusionInterference separation (of the two systems)

‘truly bilingual’

Code-switching Saunders (1982):

‘triggering’

Unconscious switching

Internal linguistic factors

e.g. a word belonging to both languages

forget which language the speaker is speaking inA trigger continue in the other language

e.g.Frank: Mum, what can I have to drink?Mother: Do you want some Prima? An Australian brand of orange juiceFrank: Ja, bitte. (‘Yes, please.’) A German word meaning ‘terrific’

a trigger to switch into German

ANTICIPATIONAL switching VS CONSEQUENTIAL switching

Saunders (1982):

Quotational switching

To quote a crucial line in the story

Haugen (1953): ‘untranslatable & inimitable punch line’

e.g.Thomas: I know this one, Mum. It’s called Die

Wilde Jagd (The Wild Chase). It’s about dome kids and their mugs get filled up all the time by the ghost, he tells them not to tell anyone. But they tell their mother and father, und die Glaser werden nie wieder

gefullt (and the glasses are never again filled).

Personal and attitudinal factors affecting children’s bilingualism

Children’s bilingualism

Receptiveness attitudes

Child family extended family school society

CASES:Doctor

School psychologist bilingualism=child’s confusion

Professionals (speech therapist)

Later childhood bilingualism

Balkan (1970):

Early childhood bilingualism more advantages VS later in childhood or adolescence

numerical ability

Bilingual score better verbal & perceptual flexibility VSMonolingual general reasoning

Bilingual before age 4 more superior VSBilingual after age 4& monolingual