ERIC Number: EJ1200045
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jan
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-0009
EISSN: N/A
The Acquisition of English Possessives by a Bilingual Child: Do Input and Usage Frequency Matter?
Babatsouli, Elena; Nicoladis, Elena
Journal of Child Language, v46 n1 p170-183 Jan 2019
Previous research in child language shows that many aspects of language acquisition are frequency-linked. This study tests whether input or usage frequency predicts the order of acquisition and accuracy of a bilingual Greek-English child's English possessives. The child was followed longitudinally from age 2;6 to 3;11. Order of acquisition was comparable to that of same-aged monolingual children. The child's usage frequency and order of acquisition were highly correlated with input frequency, while her accuracy was not. We argue that the child's already-acquired Greek possessives facilitated acquisition of English possessives, even though the child's English input and usage frequencies were lower than in monolingual English children.
Descriptors: Bilingualism, Greek, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Young Children, Accuracy, Longitudinal Studies, Grammar
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A