The English Phonological Skills of Latino Spanish-English Dual-Language Preschoolers Living in Los Angeles: Implications for Practice

S. Montanari, Kaveri Subrahmanyam, M. Zepeda, C. Rodriguez

Research output: Chapter or Contribution to BookChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This study examines the English phonological skills of ten Spanish L1/English L2 bilingual preschoolers from Los Angeles, focusing on (1) phonetic inventory complexity, (2) overall consonant accuracy, (3) accuracy of production of early-, middle-, and late-developing sounds, and (d) interaction between phonological systems. The results indicate that English inventories were commensurate to those of same-age monolinguals, yet accuracy levels were lower. Spanish sounds appeared in English inventories, and English-only sounds were produced with lower accuracy than sounds present in both languages. These results validate previous findings and suggest that phonological systems interact in development, bootstrapping some phonological skills while at the same time delaying others. We discuss the implications of our findings for speech pathologists and preschool educators.
Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationPerspectives in the Study of Spanish Language Variation
Subtitle of host publicationPapers in Honor of Carmen Silva-Corvalán
EditorsAndrés Enrique-Arias, Manuel J. Gutiérrez, Alazne Landa, Francisco Ocampo
Place of PublicationSantiago de Compostela, Spain
Pages465-496
Number of pages31
StatePublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameGalician Yearbook of Philology

Keywords

  • Phonological development
  • phonological skills
  • Spanish-English bilingualism
  • preschoolers

Disciplines

  • Psychiatry and Psychology

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