Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T08:42:43.277Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Determining language dominance in English–Mandarin bilinguals: Development of a self-report classification tool for clinical use

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2008

VALERIE P. C. LIM ,
SUSAN J. RICKARD LIOW ,
MICHELLE LINCOLN ,
YIONG HUAK CHAN  and
MARK ONSLOW
VALERIE P. C. LIM*
Affiliation:
Singapore General Hospital and University of Sydney
SUSAN J. RICKARD LIOW
Affiliation:
National University of Singapore
MICHELLE LINCOLN
Affiliation:
University of Sydney
YIONG HUAK CHAN
Affiliation:
National University of Singapore
MARK ONSLOW
Affiliation:
University of Sydney
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Valerie P. C. Lim, Speech Therapy Department, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore 169608. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In multilingual Asian communities, determining language dominance for clinical assessment and intervention is often complex. The aim of this study was to develop a self-report classification tool for identifying the dominant language in English–Mandarin bilinguals. Participants (N = 168) completed a questionnaire on language history and single-word receptive vocabulary tests (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test type) in both languages. The results of a discriminant analysis on the self-report data revealed a reliable three-way classification into English-dominant, Mandarin-dominant, and balanced bilinguals. The vocabulary scores supported these dominance classifications, whereas the more typical variables such as age of first exposure, years of formal instruction, and years of exposure exerted only a limited influence. The utility of this classification tool in clinical settings is discussed.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , July 2008 , pp. 389 - 412
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Albert, M. L., & Obler, L. K. (1978). The bilingual brain: Neuropsychological and Neurolinguistic aspects of bilingualism. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Altarriba, J. (2003). Does cariño equal “liking”? A theoretical approach to conceptual nonequivalence between languages. The International Journal of Bilingualism, 7, 305–322.Google Scholar
Bates, E., D'Amico, S., Jacobsen, T., Székely, A., Andonova, E., Devescovi, A. et al. (2003). Timed picture naming in seven languages. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 10, 344–380.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernstein Ratner, N. (2004). Fluency and stuttering in bilingual children. In Goldstein, B. A. (Ed.), Bilingual language development and disorders in Spanish–English speakers (pp. 287–308). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.Google Scholar
Bialystok, E. (2007). Language acquisition and bilingualism: Consequences for a multilingual society. Applied Psycholinguistics, 28, 393–397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bialystok, E., McBride-Chang, C., & Luk, G. (2005). Bilingualism, language proficiency, and learning to read in two writing systems. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 580–590.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bialystok, E., & Miller, B. (1999). The problem of age in second-language acquisition: Influences from language, structure, and task. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2, 127–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birdsong, D. (2006a). Age and second language acquisition and processing: A selective overview. Language Learning, 56, 9–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birdsong, D. (2006b). Dominance, proficiency, and second language grammatical processing. Applied Psycholinguistics, 27, 46–49.Google Scholar
Chen, H.-C., & Leung, Y.-S. (1989). Patterns of lexical processing in a nonnative language. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 15, 316–325.Google Scholar
Chincotta, D., & Underwood, G. (1999). Non-temporal determinants of bilingual memory capacity. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 1, 117–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cutler, A., Mehler, J., Norris, D., & Segui, J. (1992). The monolingual nature of speech segmentation by bilinguals. Cognitive Psychology, 24, 381–410.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Bot, K., & Kroll, J. F. (2002). Psycholinguistics. In Schmitt, N. (Ed.), Introduction to applied linguistics (pp. 133–149). London: Arnold.Google Scholar
De Houwer, A. (2007). Parental language input patterns and children's bilingual use. Applied Psycholinguistics, 28, 411–424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunn, L. M., Dunn, L. M., Whetton, C., & Pintillie, D. (1982). British Picture Vocabulary Scale. Windsor, Berks: NFER–Nelson.Google Scholar
Finn, P., & Cordes, A. K. (1997). Multicultural identification and treatment of stuttering: A continuing need for research. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 22, 219–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fishman, J. A. (2000). Who speaks what langauge to whom and when? In Li, W. (Ed.), The bilingualism reader (pp. 89–106). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Flege, J. E., Mackay, I. R. A., & Piske, T. (2002). Assessing bilingual dominance. Applied Psycholinguistics, 23, 567–598.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garson, D. G. (2006). Discriminant function analysis. Retrieved September 12, 2006, from http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/pa765/discrim.htmGoogle Scholar
Genesee, F., Paradis, J., & Crago, M. B. (2004). Dual language development and disorders. A handbook on bilingualism and second language learning. Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes.Google Scholar
Golato, P. (2002). Word parsing by late-learning French–English bilinguals. Applied Psycholinguistics, 23, 417–446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Golestania, N., Alario, F.-X., Meriaux, S., Bihan, D. L., Dehaene, S., & Pallier, C. (2006). Syntax production in bilinguals. Neuropsychologia, 44, 1029–1040.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grosjean, F. (1982). Life with two languages: An introduction to bilingualism. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 1, 131–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grosjean, F. (1985). The bilingual as a competent but specific speaker–hearer. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 6, 467–477.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grosjean, F. (1998). Studying bilinguals: Methodological and conceptual issues. Bilingualism, 1, 131–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grosjean, F. (2001). The bilingual's language modes. In Nicol, J. L. (Ed.), One mind, two languages: Bilingual language processing (pp. 1–22). Malden, MA: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Hakuta, K., & D'Andrea, D. (1992). Some properties of bilingual maintenance and loss in Mexican background high-school-sudents. Applied Linguistics, 13, 72–99.Google Scholar
Hamers, J. F., & Blanc, M. H. A. (2000). Bilinguality and bilingualism (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howell, P., Ruffle, L., Fernandez-Zuniga, A., Gutierrez, R., Fernandez, A. H., O'Brian, M. L. et al. (Eds.). (2004). Comparison of exchange patterns of stuttering in Spanish and English monolingual speakers and a bilingual Spanish–English speaker. Nijmegen: Nigmegen University Press.Google Scholar
Jankelowitz, D. L., & Bortz, M. A. (1996). The interaction of bilingualism and stuttering in an adult. Journal of Communication Disorders, 29, 223–234.Google Scholar
Jared, D., & Kroll, J. F. (2001). Do bilinguals activate phonological representations in one or both of their languages when naming words? Journal of Memory and Language, 44, 2–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jayaram, M. (1983). Phonetic influences on stuttering in monolingual and bilingual stutterers. Journal of Communication Disorders, 16, 287–297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keppel, G., & Wickens, T. D. (2004). Design and analysis: A researcher's handbook (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Kohnert, K. J., Hernandez, A. E., & Bates, E. (1998). Bilingual performance on the Boston Naming Test: Preliminary norms in Spanish and English. Brain and Language, 65, 422–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Langdon, H. W., Wiig, E. H., & Nielsen, N. P. (2005). Dual-dimension naming speed and language-dominance ratings by bilingual hispanic adults. Bilingual Research Journal, 29 (2), 319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, P., Sepanski, S., & Zhao, X. (2006). Language History Questionnaire: A web-based interface for bilingual research. Research Methods, 38, 202–210.Google ScholarPubMed
Macnamara, J. (1967). The bilingual's linguistic performance: A psychological overview. Journal of Social Issues, 23, 59–77.Google Scholar
Obler, L. K., Zatorre, R. J., Galloway, L., & Vaid, J. (2000). Central lateralization in bilinguals: Methodological issues. In Wei, L. (Ed.), The bilingualism reader (pp. 381–393). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Oscarson, M. (1989). Self-assessment of language proficiency: Rationale and applications. Language Testing, 6, 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paradis, M. (1987). The assessment of bilingual aphasia. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Perani, D., Eraldo, P., Galles, N. S., Dupoux, E., Dehaene, S., Bettinardi, V. et al. (1998). The bilingual brain: Proficiency and age of acquisition of the second language. Brain, 121, 1841–1852.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rickard Liow, S. J., Hong, E. L., & Tng, S. K. (1992). Singapore primary school norms for the multilingual British Picture Vocabulary Scale: English, Mandarin and Malay. Working Paper No. 43. Singapore: National University of Singapore, Department of Social Work and Psychology.Google Scholar
Rickard Liow, S. J., & Poon, K. K. L. (1998). Phonological awareness in multilingual Chinese children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 19, 339–362.Google Scholar
Rickard Liow, S. J., & Tng, S. K. (2003). Biscriptal literacy development of Chinese children in Singapore. In McBride-Chang, C. & Chen, H. C. (Eds.), Reading development in Chinese children. Westport, CT: Praeger.Google Scholar
Szekely, A., D'Amico, S., Devescovi, A., Federmeier, K., Herron, D., Iyer, G. et al. (2003). Timed picture naming: Extended norms and validation against previous studies. Behavior Research Methods Instruments & Computers, 35, 621–633.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Szekely, A., D'Amico, S., Devescovi, A., Federmeier, K., Herron, D., Iyer, G. et al. (2005). Timed action and object naming. Cortex, 41, 7–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Szekely, A., Jacobsen, T., D'Amico, S., Devescovi, A., Andonova, E., Herron, D. et al. (2004). A new on-line resource for psycholinguistic studies. Journal of Memory and Language, 51, 247–250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tokowicz, N., Michael, E. B., & Kroll, J. F. (2004). The roles of study-abroad experience and working memory capacity in the types of errors made during translation. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 7, 255–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar