ACQ Vol 11 No 1 2009

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ACQuiring knowledge in sp eech, language and hearing, Volume 11, Number 1 2009 63
MULTICULTURALISM AND DYSPHAGIA
Correspondence to:
Laura Conway
ELVS Research Coordinator
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Department of Speech Pathology
Royal Children’s Hospital
Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052
phone: 03 9345 5484
email:
Wagner, R. K., Torgesen, J. K., & Rashotte, C. A. (1999). The
comprehensive test of phonological processing. Austin, TX: PRO-
ED Inc.
Wetherby, A. M., & Prizant, B. (2002). Communication and
symbolic behaviour scales: Developmental profile. Baltimore, MD:
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Wiig E., Secord W., &. Semel, E. (2006). Clinical evaluation of
language fundamentals preschool, Australian standardised
edition (2nd ed.). Marickville, NSW: Harcourt Assessment Inc.
Language development in Australian bilingual children
Ruth Nicholls
It has been estimated that more than half of the world’s
population speak more than one language. Over 4 million
Australians speak a language other than English, with almost
400 languages spoken around the country. Despite
the increasing number of Australian children being
raised in multilingual environments, little is known
about how these children learn English. How does
the language development of children learning
English and another language (bilingual) compare
with children learning English only (monolingual)?
Is their development of English similar or are there
differences? If so, what do the pathways and
patterns in their development look like?
In 2005, a study investigating the language
development of bilingual children growing up in
Australia was embedded within ELVS (described
above). The aim of the study was to better
understand the natural development of English
morphology by children simultaneously learning English and
another language during the preschool years. Ruth Nicholls,
PhD candidate at The University of Melbourne and Murdoch
Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, is undertaking the
study. All participants in ELVS who were hearing and/or
speaking another language were invited to join the study.
Seventy-four bilingual children, learning a diverse mixture of
34 languages in addition to English, agreed to participate,
along with a closely matched group of 74 monolingual
children from ELVS.
All of these children were visited in their homes, located
around metropolitan Melbourne, for an initial assessment
between June and December 2006 when aged 3;4 years. These
visits involved an interview with the bilingual children’s
parents (to find out about the children’s exposure and use of
their languages) and direct assessment of the children’s
English morphology using selected components of the Rice/
Wexler Test of Early Grammatical Impairment (TEGI) (Rice &
Wexler, 2001) and the Wiig Criterion-Referenced Inventory of
Language (CRIL) (Wiig, 1990) – as well as endless turns of a
wooden fishing game which the children loved and
continually requested!
Those bilingual children who were learning the languages
most frequently represented in this study (Cantonese,
Croatian, Greek, Macedonian, Mandarin, Turkish and Viet­
namese) were then invited to participate in two further assess­
ments (at ages 3;10 and 4;4 respectively), along with their
matched controls. In total, three assessments were conducted
at 6-month intervals to measure and track each child’s
development over this 12-month period. These assessments
were completed in December 2007, bringing the 19 months of
assessments and hundreds of fishing expeditions to a close.
Data analyses have been conducted, with
national and international interest in this unique
study. Preliminary findings were most recently
presented at Reflecting Connections, the joint
conference between the New Zealand Speech-
Language Therapists Association and Speech
Pathology Australia in Auckland, New Zealand in
May 2008 and at the 12th Congress of the
International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics
Association in Istanbul, Turkey in June 2008.
This study will contribute to a greater
understanding of bilingual language development.
This will benefit speech pathologists and health
and education professionals who work with
children and families from diverse multilingual
backgrounds, within local, national and international
contexts.
References
Rice, M. L., & Wexler, K. (2001). Rice/Wexler test of early gram­
matical impairment . New York: The Psychological Corporation.
Wiig, E. H. (1990). Wiig criterion-referenced inventory of
language . San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
Acknowledgments
Nadia Verrall Memorial Research Grant, Speech Pathology
Australia; Melbourne Research Scholarship, The University of
Melbourne; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Scholarship.
Ruth Nicholls
Ruth Nicholls is a speech pathologist and PhD candidate,
with clinical and research experience in paediatric
language development.
Correspondence to:
Ruth Nicholls
Speech Pathologist
5th Floor Speech Pathology Department
Royal Children’s Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052
phone: 03 9090 5264
email:
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