ERIC Number: EJ1312220
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1367-0050
EISSN: N/A
Code-Switching in the Narratives of Dual-Language Latino Preschoolers
Halpin, Emily; Melzi, Gigliana
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, v24 n9 p1271-1287 2021
The purpose of this study was to explore the use of code-switching in the narratives of dual-language Latino preschoolers, specifically by examining its incidence, types, functions, and grammaticality. Previous work has investigated code-switching in younger children and in older children and adults, but relatively little work has investigated code-switching during the preschool years, an important time for dual-language development. This study tracked the code-switching of 39 Latino DLL preschoolers over three time points: the end of each of their two preschool years, and the beginning of their kindergarten year. At each time point, children shared a wordless picture book narrative. Code-switching in their narratives was coded for incidence, type, function, and grammaticality. Results showed that the number of children who code-switched was relatively small and stable over time, and that most code-switches occurred from Spanish to English. One-word switches, mostly nouns, were the predominant type of code-switching across years. Children used code-switching to serve a variety of functions, and almost all switches adhered to grammatical rules. Results suggest that the preschool age is an important developmental period for code-switching, in which children's code-switches are simultaneously reflective of those of younger children and associated with more complexity in function and grammaticality.
Descriptors: Code Switching (Language), Bilingualism, Language Usage, Personal Narratives, Hispanic American Students, Preschool Children, Spanish, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Kindergarten, Longitudinal Studies, Language Acquisition, Grammar, Nouns, Developmental Stages, Low Income Groups, Federal Programs, Preschool Education, Incidence, Story Telling, Measures (Individuals)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York (New York)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Preschool Language Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A