Evaluation of Syntax in Three-Year-Old Spanish-Speaking Puerto Rican Children

1977 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 350-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Linares-Orama ◽  
Lois Joan Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Old Spanish ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Primary Investigator ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Linguistic Proficiency ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Status Differences

The performance of 30 normal and 30 language-deviant three-year-old Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican children was compared on two measures of linguistic proficiency. They are mean length of utterance, following a scoring procedure adapted for Spanish speakers by the primary investigator, and Lee’s Developmental Sentence Scoring procedure adapted for Spanish by Toronto. Results indicated that both methods of language assessment were sensitive to age and language status differences within the three-year age range. Accordingly, they can be usefully employed in research investigations to equate subjects on a linguistic basis, and in the clinical evaluation of small differences in the language maturity of preschool Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican children.

The Effect of Dialect on Phonological Analysis

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 394-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A. Goldstein ◽  
Aquiles Iglesias
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Phonological Processes ◽  
Old Spanish ◽  
Correct Number ◽  
Phonological Disorders ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Made In

This study examines the effect of dialect on phonological analyses in Spanish-speaking children. Phonological analyses were completed for fifty-four 3- and 4-year-old typically developing Spanish speakers and fifty-four 3-and 4-year-old Spanish speakers with phonological disorders. Analyses were made in reference to both the General Spanish dialect and the Puerto Rican dialect of Spanish to demonstrate the effect of dialect on the results. The results indicated that the number of consonant errors, percentage of consonants correct, number of errors within individual sound classes, and percentage of occurrence for phonological processes all differed based on the accounting of dialect features.

Phonological Patterns in Normally Developing Spanish-Speaking 3- and 4-Year-Olds of Puerto Rican Descent

1996 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A. Goldstein ◽  
Aquiles Iglesias
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Phonological Processes ◽  
Old Spanish ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Made In

This study presents a quantitative and qualitative description of the phonological patterns in Spanish-speaking preschoolers of Puerto Rican descent. Phonological processes and nontargeted process errors were analyzed for 24 3-year-old and 30 4-year-old Spanish speakers. Analyses were made in reference to the Puerto Rican dialects of Spanish, yielding a number of patterns that characterize the phonological patterns in these children.

Second-generation NYC bilinguals’ use of the Spanish subjunctive in obligatory contexts

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Martillo Viner
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Qualitative Investigation ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Spanish Subjunctive ◽  
Generational Groups

This paper analyzes naturalistic data from second-generation NYC bilinguals on their obligatory subjunctive use. First-generation NYC Spanish speakers serve as the reference model for the nine obligatory semantic & syntactic contexts. A total of 52 consultants are considered, 26 for each generation, from the six primary Spanish-speaking groups in NYC: Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Mexican, Ecuadorian, and Colombian. The objective is to determine, through quantitative and qualitative investigation, whether the second-generation’s obligatory subjunctive use has changed, and if so, to establish exactly where and how it differs from the first-generation, thus contributing to the variationist-sociolinguistic knowledge of Spanish grammar in bilingual settings. Statistically significant external and internal findings show that the two generational groups do in fact use the obligatory subjunctive differently. Close examination, however, suggests that second-generation bilinguals generally command obligatory subjunctive use, but do exhibit signs of a variable mood grammar.

Structural priming in Spanish as evidence of implicit learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
PERLA B. GÁMEZ ◽  
PRIYA M. SHIMPI
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Implicit Learning ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Structural Priming ◽  
Input Frequency ◽  
Learning Mechanism ◽  
Old Spanish ◽  
Syntactic Form ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Priming Technique

ABSTRACTThis study uses a structural priming technique with young Spanish speakers to test whether exposure to a rare syntactic form in Spanish (fue-passive) would increase the production and comprehension of that form. In Study 1, 14 six-year-old Spanish speakers described pictures of transitive scenes. This baseline study revealed that fue-passives were virtually non-existent in children's spontaneous speech. Using the priming technique in Study 2, an additional 56 Spanish-speaking children were exposed to fue-passive or active picture descriptions; we varied whether children repeated the modeled form. With repetition, production of fue-passives increased past baseline usage. When not asked to repeat, comprehension and production of fue-passives was no different than chance. Results extend the existing literature by experimentally testing input effects on the production and comprehension of infrequently used constructions, further corroborating the relation between input frequency and language skill. Findings are consistent with the view that an implicit learning mechanism guides language learning.

Validity of a Parent-Report Measure of Vocabulary and Grammar for Spanish-Speaking Toddlers

2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1087-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Thal ◽  
Donna Jackson-Maldonado ◽  
Dora Acosta
Keyword(s):  
Naming Task ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Confrontation Naming ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Language Sample

The validity of the Fundación MacArthur Inventario del Desarrollo de Habilidades Comunicativas: Palabras y Enunciados (IDHC:PE) was examined with twenty 20- and nineteen 28-month-old, typically developing, monolingual, Spanish-speaking children living in Mexico. One measure of vocabulary (number of words) and two measures of grammar (mean of the three longest utterances and grammatical complexity score) from the IDHC:PE were compared to behavioral measures of vocabulary (number of different words from a language sample and number of objects named in a confrontation naming task) and one behavioral measure of grammar (mean length of utterance from a language sample). Only vocabulary measures were assessed in the 20-month-olds because of floor effects on the grammar measures. Results indicated validity for assessing expressive vocabulary in 20-month-olds and expressive vocabulary and grammar in 28-month-olds.

The relation of utterance length to grammatical complexity in normal and language-disordered groups

1991 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hollis S. Scarborough ◽  
Leslie Rescorla ◽  
Helen Tager-Flusberg ◽  
Anne E. Fowler ◽  
Vicki Sudhalter
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Fragile X Syndrome ◽  
Fragile X ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Grammatical Development ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Grammatical Complexity ◽  
Linguistic Proficiency ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

ABSTRACTMean length of utterance (MLU) in morphemes was examined as a predictor of the grammatical complexity of natural language corpora of normal preschoolers and of children and adolescents with delayed language, Fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and autism. The Index of Productive Syntax (IPSyn) served as the measure of syntactic and morphological proficiency. For all groups, a strong curvilinear association between measures was found across the MLU range from 1.0 to about 4.5. Correlations were weaker when MLU exceeded 3.0 than during earlier stages of language development, however, confirming previous suggestions that MLU becomes less closely associated with grammatical development as linguistic proficiency increases. For the language-disordered groups, moreover, the curves relating the two measures differed from the curves for the normal preschoolers because MLU frequently overestimated actual IPSyn scores. The results are discussed with respect to the use of MLU in conjunction with other measures of syntactic complexity in the study of atypical language development.

Classroom Instruction for Young Spanish Speakers

1974 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-19
Author(s):  
Joyce Evans ◽  
A. E. Guevara
Keyword(s):  
Mexican American ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Bilingual Instruction ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Spanish Speaker ◽  
American Children ◽  
Certified Teacher

Bilingual instruction for the education of Mexican American children, particularly instruction in Spanish, is a problem in many parts of the country. Instructional materials developed specifically for the Spanish speaking child are not always available and a literal translation of English language materials into Spanish may be inadequate and/or inaccurate. Programs designed for the Spanish speaker and taught by a certified teacher who is bilingual are preferable. When this is not immediately possible, temporary solutions or arrangements can be implemented within schools and/or preschool centers in order to build upon the child's native language and cultural background.

scholarly journals Relationship between mean length of utterance and vocabulary in children with typical language development

Revista CEFAC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Letícia Arruda Nóro ◽  
Helena Bolli Mota
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Statistical Analysis System ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance ◽  
Age Range

ABSTRACT Purpose: to investigate the existence of a relationship between vocabulary and measures of mean length of utterance in children in their language development phase. Methods: the sample consisted of 72 children aged 2 to 4 years, 11 months and 29 days, 36 boys and 36 girls, with typical language development, evenly distributed into age groups, enrolled in kindergartens with the public school system, in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Videos of the spontaneous speech of each subject were made, and then, the analysis of the vocabulary and Mean Length of Utterance took place. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Analysis System program, version 9.2 and Spearman correlation coefficient, with a significance level of p <0.05. Results: the influence of gender in the Mean Length of Utterance correlation and vocabulary was observed. There was a difference between the ages of 2 and 4 years. Conclusion: vocabulary development promotes mean length utterance, indicating positive correlation between gender and age range.

Housing Stability and Transactional Sex among Spanish-Speaking and English-Speaking Transgender Women

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-141
Author(s):  
John A. Sauceda ◽  
Edda I. Santiago-Rodriguez ◽  
Gaspar Zaragoza ◽  
Catherine E. Rivas ◽  
Luz Venegas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Transgender Women ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Transactional Sex ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Housing Stability ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
English Speaking

There is evidence for a relationship between housing instability and transactional sex among transgender women. However, less is known about this relationship among monolingual Spanish-speaking transgender women. We compared Spanish- and English-speaking transgender women for differences in ever reporting transactional sex, and if perceived housing stability moderated these differences. Using a cross-sectional design, we surveyed 186 Spanish- and English-speaking transgender women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the San Francisco Bay Area, California. All variables in this study were from a brief demographic questionnaire in a larger parent study. Using a multivariate regression model for moderation, we tested whether the odds for reporting transactional sex were different between English and Spanish speakers, and whether housing stability moderated these odds. Overall, Spanish and English speakers reporting similar percentages of transactional sex (52.3–53.8%) and similar scores on the housing stability measure. In the moderation regression model, Spanish speakers had 7.9 times the adjusted odds of transaction sex, versus English speakers, but housing stability moderated the probability of transactional sex in the form of a crossover interaction. That is, lesser housing stability was associated with a higher probability of reporting transactional sex among Spanish speakers, yet greater housing stability was also associated with lower probability of reporting transactional sex. Housing stability evidenced both a risk and protective role for Spanish-speaking transgender women, which highlight the importance of this basic health need.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document