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JCPSLP
Volume 18, Number 1 2016
Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology
for language [F
(1,480)
= 16.806, p < .001,
n
p
2
= 0.035] and
age group [F
(5,480)
= 15.418, p < .001,
n
p
2
= 0.141] but no
interaction between them. That is, the acquisition of
quantifiers to mark plurality follows the same pattern for
both language dominance groups. For the EL1 participants,
simple effects testing across age groups (with Bonferroni
corrections at p < .05 , and a threshold of p < .005 after the
correction was applied) revealed significant differences
between age group 3, aged 4;9–5;2, [M = 0.96, SD = .92]
and age group 5, aged 5;9–6;2, [M = 1.72, SD = 1.23, t
(1,83)
= –3.256, p < .001]. This shows that in addition to using the
plural “-s”marker to indicate plurality, the EL1 participants
had also increased use of quantifiers to indicate plurality.
The mean values (Table 1) and patterns shown in figures 1
and 2 show that the EL1 participants were at times
indicating plurality using the “-s”marker or quantifier by the
beginning of preschool (i.e., approximately 4 years of age).
This usage was not, however, consistent and this will be
discussed later. The ML1 participants were also using a low
proportion of both marker and quantifier to indicate plurality
on occasions, but the predominant pattern was of omission
of any type of plural marking.
Simple effects testing within language but across age
(with Bonferroni corrections at p < .05, and a threshold
of p < .005 after the correction was applied) for the EL1
participants revealed significant differences between age
group 3 (aged 4;9–5;2) [M = 2.04, SD = 1.85] and age
group 5 (aged 5;9–6;2) [M = 4.10, SD = 2.48, t
(1,83)
=
–4.378, p < .001]. The EL1 participants used the marker
significantly more than the ML1 participants with a notable
increase in use by the EL1 participants by approximately
6 years of age. Most of the ML1 participants had not
demonstrated consistent use of the “-s” plural marker
before completion of their preschool education (average 6
years 8 months).
Use of quantifier
The 2x6 factorial ANOVA for the use of a quantifier with a
noun to indicate plurality revealed significant main effects
Discussion
This research aimed to explore the marking of noun plurality
in English for English–Mandarin bilingual Singaporean
preschoolers by language dominance and by age group.
The results demonstrate different patterns in noun plural
marking for English–Mandarin bilingual preschoolers in
Singapore both in comparison to noun plural marking for
forms of StdE and based on their language dominance.
Both main language dominance groups used quantifiers
to indicate plurality. While monolingual speakers of StdE
would usually start to mark noun plurality with the “-s”
marker by 2;6 years, this was not the case for these
English–Mandarin bilingual participants. The data show
that quantifiers rather than morphological marking of noun
plurals are used in Singaporean English, as shown in adults
by Deterding and Poedjosoedarmo (2001). This presents
important considerations for the clinician as to appropriate
assessment and intervention targets in this context.
The results also showed differences in the acquisition of
the plural marker between groups of children with different
main home languages (i.e., faster and different patterns of
acquisition of plural marker for children who speak English
Mean no. of uses of quantifier to indicate pluralality
2.5
2.0
31.5
1.0
.5
0.0
1
2
3
4
5
6
age group
Figure 2. Mean number of uses of quantifier to indicate plurality
for both language dominance groups
LANG
EL1
ML1
Mean no. of uses of plural “s”marker
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
1
2
3
4
5
6
age group
Figure 1. Mean number of uses of plural“-s”marker for both
language dominance groups
LANG
EL1
ML1
Table 2. Means and standard deviations for both
language dominance groups for plural “-s” and
quantifier usage variables
EL1
ML1
Variable Agegroup Mean Standard
deviation
Mean Standard
deviation
Plural“-s” 1(3;9–4;2) 2.05 1.89
.92 1.01
2(4;3–4;8) 2.03 1.98
.90 1.46
3(4;9–5;2) 2.04 1.85 1.83 1.90
4(5;3–5;8) 3.38 2.48 1.51 1.91
5(5;9–6;2) 4.10 2.48 1.82 2.43
6(6;3–6;8) 4.17 2.36 1.48 1.55
Quantifier 1(3;9–4;2)
.74 1.288 .35
.75
2(4;3–4;8) 1.00 1.08
.45
.80
3(4;9–5;2)
.96
.92
.65
.87
4(5;3–5;8) 1.40
.93 1.02 1.33
5(5;9–6;2) 1.72 1.23 1.13
.89
6(6;3–6;8) 1.92 1.13 1.70 1.45