title: Dog or chien? Translation equivalents in the receptive and expressive vocabularies of young French-English bilinguals.
abstract: In order to address gaps in the literature surrounding the acquisition of translation equivalents (TEs) in young bilinguals, two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, TEs were measured in the expressive vocabularies of thirty-four French-English bilinguals at 1;4, 1;10, and 2;6 using the MacArthur Bates CDI. Children's acquisition of TEs occurred gradually, with more balanced ratios of exposure and vocabulary associated with larger proportions of TEs at each wave. Experiment 2 compared a direct measure of TE comprehension with parent report of the same set of words. Results showed that parents may over-report children's TE comprehension, as our sample of two-year-old French-English bilinguals (n = 20) comprehended fewer TEs on a direct measure of receptive vocabulary than parents reported on the vocabulary checklist. The present study provides an original contribution to the literature on bilingual vocabulary development by employing both a longitudinal design and a direct measure of TE comprehension.
authors.affiliation: Concordia University.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Legacy
authors.affiliation: Concordia University.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reider
authors.affiliation: Concordia University.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crivello
authors.affiliation: Concordia University.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kuzyk
authors.affiliation: San Diego State University.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friend
authors.affiliation: Université de Genève.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zesiger
authors.affiliation: Concordia University.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poulin-Dubois
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007802:Language; D007804:Language Development; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D014177:Translations; D014825:Vocabulary