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- Abrahamsson, Niclas, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Ligger »nästan inföddlikhet» i tvåspråkighetens natur? : Om ålders- vs tvåspråkighetseffekter vid andraspråksinlärning
- 2021
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Ingår i: Språk och stil. - : Uppsala University. - 1101-1165 .- 2002-4010. ; NF 31:1, s. 108-142
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The relatively recent insight, that the ultimate attainment of childhood L2 learners does not always – or, in fact, does not very often – converge fully with that of native speakers, has called into question age of acquisition (AoA) as the cause of such near-native (rather than nativelike) ultimate attainment. An alternative, increasingly popular, interpretation is that the subtle differences between near-native and nativelike language knowledge and behavior arise, not as an effect of AoA, but merely as an artefact of the customary, allegedly biased comparison between monolingual and bilingual speakers. Along similar lines, it is commonly held that it is the monolingual acquisition (made possible through total L1 loss and ‘neural resetting’) that makes it possible for internationally adopted children to become fully nativelike in their L2 (or “new L1”). With data from a recent series of studies, we challenge these views. In these studies, speakers of Swedish, who were either L1 monolinguals, L1 (simultaneous) bilinguals, early L2 (sequential) monolinguals, or early L2 (sequential) bilinguals, were tested on a total of 13 measures of language representation and processing in Swedish, covering both production and perception of phonetics, morphosyntax, and lexis. The results show consistent effects of AoA but next-to-neg- ligible effects of bilingualism on ultimate attainment, suggesting that AoA – not bilingualism– is the primary determinant of L2 ultimate attainment.
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- Bylund, Emanuel, et al.
(författare)
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Age of acquisition effects or effects of bilingualism in second language ultimate attainment?
- 2013
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Ingår i: Sensitive Periods, Language Aptitude, and Ultimate L2 Attainment. - Amsterdam : John Benjamins Publishing Company. - 9789027213112 ; , s. 69-102
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the most robust findings in the field of SLA is the different rates of success with which children and adults achieve nativelike proficiency in a L2. Age-related differences have traditionally been explained in terms of the maturational state of the learner. Recently, however, a growing number of accounts hold that age effects in ultimate attainment are due to L1 entrenchment (e.g. Flege 1999; MacWhinney 2005; Ventureyra, Pallier & Yoo 2004). In this view, an increase in L1 proficiency leads to the progressive entrenchment of L1 representations, with the consequence that L2 acquisition becomes more difficult. Inherent in this interpretation is the assumption that the “less L1”, the less it will interfere with the L2. In this paper, we analyse the theoretical underpinnings of the “L1 entrenchment accounts”, and evaluate the existing evidence for and against such claims.
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| 5. |
- Bylund, Emanuel, et al.
(författare)
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Age of acquisition – not bilingualism – is the primary determinant of less than nativelike L2 ultimate attainment
- 2021
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Ingår i: Bilingualism. - 1366-7289 .- 1469-1841. ; 24:1, s. 18-30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has recently been suggested that bilingualism, rather than age of acquisition, is what underlies less than nativelike attainment in childhood L2 acquisition. Currently, however, the empirical evidence in favor of or against this interpretation remains scarce. The present study sets out to fill this gap, implementing a novel factorial design in which the variables age of acquisition and bilingualism have been fully crossed. Eighty speakers of Swedish, who were either L1 monolinguals, L1 simultaneous bilinguals, L2 sequential monolinguals (international adoptees), or L2 sequential bilinguals (childhood immigrants), were tested on phonetic, grammatical, and lexical measures. The results indicate consistent effects of age of acquisition, but only limited effects of bilingualism, on ultimate attainment. These findings thus show that age of acquisition – not bilingualism – is the primary determinant of L2 ultimate attainment.
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- Bylund, Emanuel, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Does bilingualism come with linguistic costs? A meta-analytic review of the bilingual lexical deficit
- 2023
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Ingår i: Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1069-9384 .- 1531-5320. ; 30:3, s. 897-913
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- A series of recent studies have shown that the once-assumed cognitive advantage of bilingualism finds little support in the evidence available to date. Surprisingly, however, the view that bilingualism incurs linguistic costs (the so-called lexical deficit) has not yet been subjected to the same degree of scrutiny, despite its centrality for our understanding of the human capacity for language. The current study implemented a comprehensive meta-analysis to address this gap. By analyzing 478 effect sizes from 130 studies on expressive vocabulary, we found that observed lexical deficits could not be attributed to bilingualism: Simultaneous bilinguals (who acquired both languages from birth) did not exhibit any lexical deficit, nor did sequential bilinguals (who acquired one language from birth and a second language after that) when tested in their mother tongue. Instead, systematic evidence for a lexical deficit was found among sequential bilinguals when tested in their second language, and more so for late than for early second language learners. This result suggests that a lexical deficit may be a phenomenon of second language acquisition rather than bilingualism per se.
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- Bylund, Emanuel, et al.
(författare)
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Does first language maintenance hamper nativelikeness in a second language? : a study of ultimate attainment in early bilinguals
- 2012
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Ingår i: Studies in Second Language Acquisition. - 0272-2631 .- 1470-1545. ; 34:2, s. 215-241
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Within the field of SLA, the incidence of nativelikeness in second language (L2) speakers has typically been explained as a function of age of acquisition. An alternative interpretation, however, is that L2 learners do not attain nativelike proficiency because of first language (L1) maintenance. This interpretation has nevertheless remained mostly theoretical due to the lack of empirical evidence. This study sets out to address the role of L1 proficiency in L2 ultimate attainment by examining L1 and L2 proficiency in 30 early L1 Spanish-L2 Swedish bilinguals. Language proficiency was assessed through grammaticality judgment tests and cloze tests, and additional data on language aptitude were collected through the Swansea Language Aptitude Test (v. 2.0; Meara, Milton, & Lorenzo-Dus, 2002). The results showed positive correlations between nativelike L1 and L2 behavior. Additionally, it was found that language aptitude was positively correlated with nativelike L1 and L2 performance. In view of these findings, it is suggested that (a) L1 maintenance does not hamper L2 nativelikeness and (b) language aptitude is an important factor for bilingual ultimate attainment.
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| 8. |
- Bylund, Emanuel, et al.
(författare)
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Revisiting the bilingual lexical deficit: The impact of age of acquisition
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cognition. - : Elsevier BV. - 0010-0277 .- 1873-7838. ; 182, s. 45-49
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Whereas the cognitive advantages brought about by bilingualism have recently been called into question, the so-called ‘lexical deficit’ in bilinguals is still largely taken for granted. Here, we argue that, in analogy with cognitive advantages, the lexical deficit does not apply across the board of bilinguals, but varies as a function of acquisition trajectory. To test this, we implement a novel methodological design, where the variables of bilingualism and first/second language status have been fully crossed in four different groups. While the results confirm effects of bilingualism on lexical proficiency and processing, they show more robust effects of age of acquisition. We conclude that the traditional view of the linguistic costs of bilingualism need to give way to a new understanding of lexical development in which age of acquisition is seen as a major determinant.
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| 9. |
- Bylund, Emanuel, et al.
(författare)
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The role of language aptitude in first language attrition : The case of prepubescent attriters
- 2010
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Ingår i: Applied Linguistics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0142-6001 .- 1477-450X. ; 31:3, s. 443-464
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While language aptitude has been investigated actively within second language research, there is a current dearth of research on the effects of aptitude in cases of attrition. The aim of the present investigation was to explore the role of language aptitude for L1 proficiency in speakers who experienced a break with their L1 setting prior to puberty. Twenty-five L1 SpanishL2 Swedish bilinguals residing in Sweden participated in the study, and 15 native speakers of Spanish living in Chile were recruited as controls. The L1 proficiency was measured by means of a grammaticality judgement test (GJT) and language aptitude data were obtained through the Swansea Language Aptitude Test (Meara et al. 2003). Results showed a positive correlation between GJT performance and language aptitude. More specifically, the bilinguals with above-average aptitude were more likely to score within the native range on the GJT than those with below-average aptitude. It was also seen that among the participants with below-average aptitude, GJT scores were related to daily L1 use. In view of these findings, we suggest that language aptitude has a compensatory function in language attrition, helping the attriter to retain a high level of L1 proficiency despite reduced L1 contact.
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| 10. |
- Bylund Spångberg, Emanuel, 1979-
(författare)
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Age differences in first language attrition : A maturational constraints perspective
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis investigates age-related differences in first language (L1) attrition in a second language (L2) setting. The thesis is based on four individual studies. The aim of each of the studies has been to examine aspects of age differences that to date have remained in the background of attrition research: Study I gives an overview of research on age differences in L1 attrition and suggests a reinterpretation of age effects in attrition, using as a point of departure critical period constructs. Study I also formulates hypotheses regarding the contour and timing of attrition susceptibility and its interplay with non-biological factors. Study II investigates L1 residual knowledge and L2 ultimate attainment in international adoptees. The results suggest that a) that L1 remnants may be found if relearning activities have taken place prior to testing; b) L2 learners who have experienced a complete cut-off in L1 contact do not attain higher L2 proficiency levels than learners who have stayed in contact with the L1. The results also indicate that the level of L1 reactivation and L2 ultimate attainment are related to age of adoption. Study III examines age effects on the retention of L1 event construal patterns. The results show that the onset of puberty is a turning point for the degree of conformity with native behaviour, i.e. those who arrived in the L2 setting before puberty were more likely to exhibit non-converging patterns than those who arrived after puberty. This finding suggests that in attrition conceptual proficiency is equally affected by age as are formal language skills. Finally, Study IV explores the role of language aptitude in prepubescent attriters. The results show that nativelike grammatical intuitions are connected to language aptitude, and that speakers with high levels of language aptitude rely less on L1 contact than do speakers with low levels of language aptitude in their retention of nativelike grammatical intuitions in the L1.
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