This paper presents the results of an inquiry into the linguistic biographies of bilingual children of immigrant families. )or this purpose, during the school year 21-1, a questionnaire was administered to parents coming from countries other than Italy of all the children attending the first and second grades of a primary school in the province of Trento. 0ore than 1 questionnaires were returned, providing a large amount of data on the families’ linguistic practices, the amount and length of exposure of the children to Italian (L2), and the variety of inputs in L1 (the native language) and in L2. The questionnaire, which was divided into nine sections, aimed to collect very precise information about the bilingual child’s exposure to the two languages, including age of first exposure to each language, current quantity and quality of exposure, but also length of exposure. An important aspect emerging from the questionnaires concerns the marked difference between the children’s competence in L1 (low) and L2 (high), and in particular the lack of attention to the literacy component in L1. ìause of the large amount of data collected, the questionnaire is not only a diagnostic tool of the linguistic situation of each child, but also a means to support his her bilingual growth and schooling.

An inquiry into language uses of bilingual primary school children

Maria Vender
2021-01-01

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an inquiry into the linguistic biographies of bilingual children of immigrant families. )or this purpose, during the school year 21-1, a questionnaire was administered to parents coming from countries other than Italy of all the children attending the first and second grades of a primary school in the province of Trento. 0ore than 1 questionnaires were returned, providing a large amount of data on the families’ linguistic practices, the amount and length of exposure of the children to Italian (L2), and the variety of inputs in L1 (the native language) and in L2. The questionnaire, which was divided into nine sections, aimed to collect very precise information about the bilingual child’s exposure to the two languages, including age of first exposure to each language, current quantity and quality of exposure, but also length of exposure. An important aspect emerging from the questionnaires concerns the marked difference between the children’s competence in L1 (low) and L2 (high), and in particular the lack of attention to the literacy component in L1. ìause of the large amount of data collected, the questionnaire is not only a diagnostic tool of the linguistic situation of each child, but also a means to support his her bilingual growth and schooling.
2021
bilingualism, second languages, L2 Italian
language exposure, language questionnaire, language biography
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Cordin & Vender (2021) An inquiry into language uses of bilingual primary school children.pdf

non disponibili

Tipologia: Versione dell'editore
Licenza: Accesso ristretto
Dimensione 773.12 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
773.12 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/1053715
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 1
social impact