Grammatical Morphology in Children Learning English as a Second Language: Implications of Similarities with Specific Language Impairment

Autor/in	Paradis, Johanne
Titel	Grammatical Morphology in Children Learning English as a Second Language: Implications of Similarities with Specific Language Impairment
Quelle	In: Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 36 (2005) 3, S.172-187 (16 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0161-1461
DOI	10.1044/0161-1461(2005/019)
Schlagwörter	Verbs; Morphemes; Morphology (Languages); Monolingualism; Error Patterns; Expressive Language; English (Second Language); Language Impairments; Language Acquisition; Second Language Learning; Bilingualism; Children + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Morphem; Morphology; Morphologie; Fehlertyp; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Speech disorder; Speech disorders; Speech disabilities; Speech disability; Speech handicap; Speech handicaps; Speech impairment; Speech impairments; Language handicaps; Sprachbehinderung; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Bilingualismus; Child; Kind; Kinder
Abstract	Purpose: This study was conducted to examine whether the expressive language characteristics of typically developing (TD) children learning English as a second language (ESL) have similarities to the characteristics of the English that is spoken by monolingual children with specific language impairment (SLI), and whether this could result in the erroneous assessment of TD English-language learners (ELLs) as language impaired. Method: Twenty-four TD language-minority children who had been learning ESL for an average of 9.5 months participated in the study. The children's accuracy and error types in production of the following grammatical morphemes were examined in spontaneous and elicited speech: third person singular [-s], past tense [-ed], irregular past tense, BE as a copula and auxiliary verb, DO as an auxiliary verb, progressive [-ing], prepositions "in" and "on," plural [-s], and determiners "a" and "the." The elicitation probes were part of a recently developed standardized test for identifying language impairment, the Test of Early Grammatical Impairment (TEGI; M. Rice & K. Wexler, 2001). Results: The ELLs' accuracy rates and error patterns with the grammatical morphemes were similar to those that have been reported for same-age monolingual children with SLI, in both spontaneous and elicited speech. In addition, the ELL's elicitation probe scores were compared to the criterion scores and group means from the sample of monolingual children used to develop the TEGI and their performance on the TEGI was in the range of the clinical population even though there is no reason to suspect that any of these children is language impaired. Both analyses point to the possibility that TD ELLs could be mistaken as language impaired. Clinical Implications: The results provide information that can be used to set appropriate expectations of error patterns and rate of grammatical development in the early stages of ESL learning. The results also emphasize how the use of English standardized tests with nonnative English-speakers is not a good practice, and suggestions are given for points to consider when assessing ELLs. (Author).
Anmerkungen	American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Tel: 301-897-5700, ext. 4164; Fax: 301-897-7348.
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10