Who speaks that language? Assessing speaker-language associations from infancy to childhood
[eng] Knowing what language people in the environment usually speak can be valuable information during language acquisition, especially for infants and children growing up bilingual. In the early stages, associating speakers with their languages may promote language separation and the formation of d...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de la UB |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/221273 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/221273 http://hdl.handle.net/10803/694566 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Bilingüisme Percepció del llenguatge Sociolingüística Bilingualism Speech perception Sociolinguistics |
| Sumario: | [eng] Knowing what language people in the environment usually speak can be valuable information during language acquisition, especially for infants and children growing up bilingual. In the early stages, associating speakers with their languages may promote language separation and the formation of distinct linguistic systems (Kandhadai et al., 2014). Although infants can track who uses each language within the first six months of life (Colomer et al., 2023; Kinzler et al., 2007), direct assessment of the formation of early speaker-language associations has provided inconclusive results (Schott et al., 2023). These associations remain relevant in later stages of language development by promoting pragmatic dierentiation and guiding children’s selection of the appropriate language based on their interlocutor (Genesee et al., 1996; Montanari, 2008; Nicoladis, 1998). Moreover, developing explicit knowledge of who speaks each language (Akhtar et al., 2012; Atagi & Sandhofer, 2020) may further enhance children’s sociolinguistic awareness. This thesis explores the emergence and evolution of speaker-language associations across development, with a special focus on infants and children in bilingual contexts. The associations are assessed before and after the first year of life, adapting the methodology to the behavioral repertoire at each developmental stage. Before the first year of life (infants aged 4 to 12 months), the associations are explored using an audiovisual preferential-looking task measuring infants’ formation of primary and robust face-language associations (Study 1 and Study 2). After the first year of life (children aged 1 to 5 years), the associations are explored using a newly designed questionnaire collecting parental report measures of children’s pragmatic dierentiation and language labeling abilities (Study 3). Furthermore, potential linguistic factors that might modulate the formation and expression of speaker-language associations will be examined. The findings from the present work indicate that primary face-language associations are formed as early as 4 months of age, evidenced by the presence of language-based preferences for speakers. These preferences exhibit an interesting developmental pattern, transitioning from an early familiarity preference for speakers of the native/dominant language to a novelty preference for speakers of the non-native/non-dominant language. However, the formation and retention of robust face-language associations do not appear to occur before age 1, at least for unfamiliar speakers, regardless of the linguistic background of the infant. Regarding pragmatic differentiation, the results indicate a general establishment around age 2. Notably, children may show an earlier onset, likely dependent on their verbal skills. From age 3 onwards, no significant age-related improvements are observed. Children exposed to one language at home and the other outside demonstrate higher levels of pragmatic differentiation at an earlier age, although the reasons for this advantage require further exploration. Moreover, children are better at adapting their language use to their interlocutor when the language required is their dominant one. Lastly, regarding language labeling, the findings reveal that this ability emerges around age 3, although some children may develop it earlier. Children frequently exposed to language reflections at home are more likely to label the languages speakers use. However, the impact of language reflections is no longer relevant after age 4, when nearly all children have developed the language labeling ability. In conclusion, this thesis outlines the developmental trajectory of speaker-language associations. The findings indicate that, early on, infants can track the languages spoken by others, influencing their social interactions and potentially their language acquisition. Although robust speaker-language associations are not evident before the first year of life, they evolve gradually and become more complex throughout development. Once children begin speaking, these associations guide their language use and enable them to explicitly identify the languages present in their sociolinguistic environment. Moreover, this thesis highlights the importance of certain linguistic factors, though not all, in the formation and expression of speaker-language associations. |
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