Bilingual language acquisition: Spanish and English in the First Six Years

How do children develop bilingual competence? Do bilingual children develop language in the same way as monolinguals? Set in the context of findings on language development, this book examines the acquisition of English and Spanish by two brothers in the first six years of their lives. Based on in-depth and meticulous analyses of naturalistic data, it explores how the systems of both languages affect each other as the children develop, and how different levels of exposure to each language influence the nature of acquisition. The author demonstrates that the children's grammars and lexicons follow a developmental path similar to that of monolinguals, but that cross-linguistic interactions affecting lexical, semantic and discourse-pragmatic aspects arise in Spanish when exposure to it diminishes around the age of four. The first of its kind, this original study is a must-read for students and researchers in bilingualism, child development, language acquisition and language contact. Includes many examples of the bilinguals' language use which will facilitate understanding of the material Contains chapter summaries and conclusions, highlighting the chapters' main points Includes appendices of the children's adjective and verb lexicons which will appeal to those interested in lexical development

• ISBN: 9781107673151
• Editorial: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
• Encuadernacion: Rústica
• Páginas: 431
• Fecha Publicación: 01/02/2014
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: