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Online Notes
Bilingual
Language
Development
Among Asian
American
Children
Requires:
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In New York
City, as well as
nationwide, an
increasingly
significant
number of
children speak a
language other
than English at
home. Sound
educational
policies,
speech/language
interventions
and parenting
practices
largely rely on
our
understanding of
the processes
through which
Asian American
children develop
proficiency in
both their home
language and
English. In this
presentation, I
will summarize
research
findings that 1)
describe and
explain these
processes among
Asian home
language
children, and 2)
illuminate
commonalities
and differences
between these
children and
those with
Spanish or
Russian as their
home language. I
will also
discuss how
research
findings inform
speech/language
pathologists and
educators
working with
this population,
as well as
parents in the
Asian
communities.
For children who
were born in the
United States, I
will address the
following
questions. (1)
If at home an
infant or
toddler hears
Mandarin,
Cantonese, or
Korean,
sometimes mixed
in with some
English, would
we expect this
child to reach
the language
development
milestones at
the same age as
monolingual
children do? (2)
If a young child
speaks
predominantly an
Asian home
language, when
and how does
transition to
English
proficiency
occur? (3) Why
some of these
children become
proficient in
both English and
their home
language whereas
others develop
little or zero
proficiency in
their home
language?
For non-English
speaking Asian
children who
just immigrated
to the United
States, I will
address the
following
questions. (1)
How long does it
take for these
children to
acquire
proficiency in
English? (2)
Which aspects of
English language
are particularly
challenging for
them? (3) What
happens to their
home language
once English
immersion
begins? (4) How
is the
development of
bilingual
proficiency
related to age
of immigration
and these
children’s
language
environment?
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