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Language Impairment in Multilingual Settings: LITMUS in action across Europe
Edited by Sharon Armon-Lotem and Kleanthes K. Grohmann
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 29] 2021
► pp. 263–300

Phonology and sentential semantics

Markers of SLI in bilingual children at age 6?

| Goethe University Frankfurt
| Goethe University Frankfurt

The aim of this study is to investigate phonology (via consonant clusters) and sentential semantics (via exhaustivity in wh-questions) regarding their potential to characterize SLI in the context of bilingual acquisition. Using the German LITMUS-QU-NWR task and the exhaustivity task, the phonological and semantic abilities of 5- to 6-year-old simultaneous-bilingual (2L1) and early second language (eL2) learners of German with SLI were compared to their typically developing peers. The results suggest that in this age group language-dependent phonological knowledge regarding consonant clusters is a marker of SLI for 2L1 and eL2 children, while language independent knowledge of consonant clusters is a marker of SLI only for eL2 children. At age 5 to 6, exhaustivity is not a marker of SLI in either bilingual group. Consistent with the notion of subtypes of SLI, individual analyses revealed considerable heterogeneity within the two SLI groups. We argue that characterization of bilingual SLI requires analyses of group and individual data, and moreover, consideration of the age at testing in relation to timing in monolingual acquisition. The COST-tasks are suitable for combining both approaches.

Keywords: consonant clusters, exhaustive wh-questions, simultaneous-bilingual, early second language learners, subtypes of SLI
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Markers and subtypes of SLI
    • 2.1Monolingual SLI
    • 2.2Bilingual TD and SLI
  • 3.Construction of the tasks
    • 3.1The German LITMUS-QU-NWR
      • 3.1.1General properties
      • 3.1.2Pilot and short version of the German LITMUS-QU-NWR
    • 3.2The Exhaustivity task
      • 3.2.1General structure
      • 3.2.2The German version
  • 4.Previous findings on LITMUS-QU-NWR and exhaustivity in wh-questions
    • 4.1Previous results on the German LITMUS-QU-NWR
    • 4.2Previous findings on exhaustivity
  • 5.Research questions
  • 6.Study
    • 6.1Recruitment
    • 6.2Identification of SLI
    • 6.3Participant characteristics
      • 2L1 TD group
      • eL2 TD group
      • 2L1 SLI group
      • eL2 SLI group
      • Group comparisons
    • 6.4Procedure
    • 6.5Scoring
    • 6.6Statistical analysis
    • 6.7Results
      • 6.7.1Group differences between TD and SLI
      • 6.7.2Subtypes of SLI
  • 7.Discussion
    • 7.1Group differences between TD vs. SLI children
    • 7.2Subtypes
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Ethical statement
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 18 November 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tilar.29.09gri
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