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Language use affects proficiency in Italian–Spanish bilinguals irrespective of age of second language acquisition*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2014

FABRIZIO DE CARLI Open the ORCID record for FABRIZIO DE CARLI [Opens in a new window] ,
BARBARA DESSI ,
MANUELA MARIANI ,
NICOLA GIRTLER ,
ALBERTO GRECO ,
GUIDO RODRIGUEZ ,
LAURA SALMON  and
MARA MORELLI
FABRIZIO DE CARLI*
Affiliation:
Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, National Research Council, Genoa
BARBARA DESSI
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa
MANUELA MARIANI
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa & Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Genoa
NICOLA GIRTLER
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa & Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Unit, IRCCS AUO – San Martino IST, Genoa
ALBERTO GRECO
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genoa
GUIDO RODRIGUEZ
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa
LAURA SALMON
Affiliation:
Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Genoa
MARA MORELLI
Affiliation:
Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Genoa
*
Address for correspondence: Fabrizio De Carli, Institute of MolecularBioimaging and Physiology, C.N.R., Via de Toni, 5, I 16132, Genoa, Italy[email protected]
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Abstract

The role of age of acquisition (AoA) in reaching native-like proficiency in second language is controversial. The existence of a critical period and the effect of AoA have been questioned by studies testing lexical and/or morphosyntactic skills, and by functional brain exploration. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of AoA and language practice on proficiency in a bilingual pragmatic task and its relationship with cognitive skills. The study involved a group of Italian–Spanish bilinguals, classified according to their AoA and language use. All participants performed a pragmatic bilingual test and a battery of cognitive tests. A multivariate analysis showed significant effects of language use and cognitive skills and a non-significant effect of AoA. These results indicate that continued language practice is a major factor influencing high bilingual proficiency, irrespective of AoA, suggesting that proficiency may be weakened when bilingual experience becomes occasional or ceases.

Keywords

bilingualismlanguage controlCritical Period Hypothesislanguage usepragmatics
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 18 , Special Issue 2: L3 Acquisition: A Focus on Cognitive Approaches , April 2015 , pp. 324 - 339
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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Footnotes

*

The study reported in this paper was funded by a grant from Genoa University (projects selection 2007). The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their comments and suggestions which helped to improve the manuscript. They also thank Frances I. Evans Mariani and Jennifer Accardo for their valuable assistance with manuscript editing.

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