The Dimensionality of Language in Spanish–English Bilingual Children.

Purpose: This study investigated the dimensionality of language in bilingual children using measures of semantics and morphosyntax in English and Spanish. Method: Participants included 112 Spanish–English bilingual children ages 4– 8 years from a wide range of language abilities and dominance profil...

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Publicado en:Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research Vol. 68; no. 5; pp. 2423 - 2453
Autores principales: Ronderos, Juliana, Castilla-Earls, Anny, Hernandez, Arturo E., Fitton, Lisa
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association May2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: May2025
      vid: 68
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      pub: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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        10.1044/2025_JSLHR-23-00771
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        atl: The Dimensionality of Language in Spanish–English Bilingual Children.
      aug:
        au:
          Ronderos, Juliana
          Castilla-Earls, Anny
          Hernandez, Arturo E.
          Fitton, Lisa
        affil:
          Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA.
          Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Houston, TX.
          Department of Psychology, University of Houston, TX.
          Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
      su:
        Comparative grammar
        Speech
        Semantics
        Language acquisition
        Multilingualism in children
        Pearson correlation (Statistics)
        Research funding
        Phonological awareness
        Descriptive statistics
        Chi-squared test
        Spanish language
        Mathematical models
        Statistics
        English language
        Factor analysis
        Theory
      sug:
        subj:
          Comparative grammar
          Speech
          Semantics
          Language acquisition
          Multilingualism in children
          Pearson correlation (Statistics)
          Research funding
          Phonological awareness
          Descriptive statistics
          Chi-squared test
          Spanish language
          Mathematical models
          Statistics
          English language
          Factor analysis
          Theory
      ab: Purpose: This study investigated the dimensionality of language in bilingual children using measures of semantics and morphosyntax in English and Spanish. Method: Participants included 112 Spanish–English bilingual children ages 4– 8 years from a wide range of language abilities and dominance profiles. Using measures of semantics and morphosyntax from both norm-referenced assessments and language samples, we evaluated the structure of language in bilingual children. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to estimate dimensionality, comparing seven primary models that represented different theoretical structures of language in bilinguals. Results: Although none of the models analyzed yielded good fit across all indices evaluated, the best-fitting CFA model was a two–correlated factor model with separate factors for Spanish and English, which included measures from only norm-referenced assessments. Conclusions: Language in Spanish–English children seems to represent two related but distinct constructs, even in bilinguals from a wide range of language abilities and dominance profiles. Clarifying how language in bilinguals is conceptualized and impacted by the concurrent development of two languages is an area that requires further research. Understanding the dimensionality of language in bilinguals can further assist our knowledge of how language develops in bilingual children.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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