title: Connective processing by bilingual children and monolinguals with specific language impairment: distinct profiles.
abstract: Production studies show that both Russian-speaking children with specific language impairment (SLI) and bilingual children for whom Russian is a non-dominant language have difficulty distinguishing between the near-synonymous connectives i 'and' and a 'and/but'. I is a preferred connective when reference is maintained, whereas a is normally used for reference shift. We report an eye-tracking experiment comparing connective processing by Russian-speaking monolinguals with typical language development (TLD) with that of Russian-Dutch bilinguals and Russian-speaking monolinguals with SLI (age 5-6). The results demonstrate that the processing profiles of monolinguals with TLD and bilinguals are similar: both groups use connective semantics immediately for predicting further discourse. In contrast, children with SLI do not show sensitivity to these semantic differences. Despite similar production profiles, bilinguals and monolinguals with SLI are clearly different in connective processing. We discuss the implications of these results for the possible causes of the errors in the two populations.
authors: Utrecht University.
authors: Willem M
authors: WM
authors: Mak
authors: Utrecht University.
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: Tribushinina
authors: ZAS Berlin.
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Lomako
authors: ZAS Berlin.
authors: Natalia
authors: N
authors: Gagarina
authors: Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia.
authors: Ekaterina
authors: E
authors: Abrosova
authors: Utrecht University.
authors: Ted
authors: T
authors: Sanders
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D012660:Semantics