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Home language environment and children's second language acquisition: the special status of input from older siblings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2020

Tamara SORENSON DUNCAN Open the ORCID record for Tamara SORENSON DUNCAN [Opens in a new window]  and
Johanne PARADIS
Tamara SORENSON DUNCAN*
Affiliation:
School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Carleton University, Canada,
Johanne PARADIS
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, University of Alberta, Canada
*
*Corresponding author: 256 Paterson Hall, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6. E-mail: tamara.sorensonduncan@carleton.ca
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Abstract

Previous research suggests that increased second language (L2) input at home may not support L2 acquisition in children from migrant backgrounds. In drawing this conclusion, existing work has largely aggregated across family members. This study contrasts the effect of L2 input from older siblings with that from mothers. Participants were 113 child L2 learners of English (mean age = 5;10 [range 4;10–7;2]; mean exposure to L2 in school = 16.7 months [range 2–48 months]). All children had at least one older sibling. Using hierarchical linear regression modelling with controls for age, non-verbal reasoning and phonological short-term memory, we found that greater L2 input from siblings – but not mothers – was associated with stronger L2 abilities in narrative macrostructure, inflectional morphology, and vocabulary. Increased cumulative exposure to the L2 at school and greater maternal L2 fluency were also positively related to children's L2 inflectional morphology and vocabulary scores.

Keywords

child L2 acquisitionmaternal L2 fluencyolder siblings

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Articles
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Journal of Child Language , Volume 47 , Issue 5 , September 2020 , pp. 982 - 1005
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

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