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Semin Speech Lang 2013; 34(04): 215-226
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1353448
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Input and Language Development in Bilingually Developing Children

Erika Hoff
1   Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, Florida
,
Cynthia Core
2   Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
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Publication History

Publication Date:
02 December 2013 (online)

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Abstract

Language skills in young bilingual children are highly varied as a result of the variability in their language experiences, making it difficult for speech-language pathologists to differentiate language disorder from language difference in bilingual children. Understanding the sources of variability in bilingual contexts and the resulting variability in children's skills will help improve language assessment practices by speech-language pathologists. In this article, we review literature on bilingual first language development for children under 5 years of age. We describe the rate of development in single and total language growth, we describe effects of quantity of input and quality of input on growth, and we describe effects of family composition on language input and language growth in bilingual children. We provide recommendations for language assessment of young bilingual children and consider implications for optimizing children's dual language development.

Keywords

Bilingual - language - assessment - input
 

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