Second Language Phonolexical Representations in Italian First-Grade Children Enrolled in an English Immersion Program: Effects of Receptive Vocabulary and Environmental Factors
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| Title: | Second Language Phonolexical Representations in Italian First-Grade Children Enrolled in an English Immersion Program: Effects of Receptive Vocabulary and Environmental Factors |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Valentina Persici (ORCID |
| Source: | Language Learning and Development. 2025 21(3):293-309. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Early Childhood Education Grade 1 Primary Education |
| Descriptors: | Second Language Learning, Phonology, Lexicology, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students, Grade 1, English (Second Language), Immersion Programs, Receptive Language, Vocabulary Development, Environmental Influences, Language Tests, Auditory Discrimination, Visual Discrimination, Accuracy |
| Geographic Terms: | Italy |
| DOI: | 10.1080/15475441.2024.2429038 |
| ISSN: | 1547-5441 1547-3341 |
| Abstract: | The study investigated whether Italian child learners of English as a second language (L2) in a partial immersion program show accurate phonological representations of L2 words including challenging non-native vowels, and whether performance is related to age of onset and richness of L2 exposure, receptive L2 vocabulary, and parents' skills in the L2. Twenty-eight children in first grade (mean age = 6;7 years; SD = 0;3) participated in an experiment in which they had to judge whether an English auditory stimulus matched its accompanying picture. In the target condition, picture and word were minimal pairs including the challenging /i?/--/[near-close near-front unrounded vowel]/or/[open-mid back unrounded vowel]/--/ae/contrasts (e.g. sheep-ship). Receptive vocabulary in the L2 was assessed using a standardized test. Information on age of onset and current richness of L2 exposure and parents' skills in the L2 was collected using a questionnaire. Results revealed that children were building lexical representations in the L2 but did not readily distinguish between minimal pairs. Analyses suggested that having underspecified phonolexical presentations in the L2 was potentially related to amount of L2 exposure outside school, presumably due to exposure to accented input. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1494975 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The study investigated whether Italian child learners of English as a second language (L2) in a partial immersion program show accurate phonological representations of L2 words including challenging non-native vowels, and whether performance is related to age of onset and richness of L2 exposure, receptive L2 vocabulary, and parents' skills in the L2. Twenty-eight children in first grade (mean age = 6;7 years; SD = 0;3) participated in an experiment in which they had to judge whether an English auditory stimulus matched its accompanying picture. In the target condition, picture and word were minimal pairs including the challenging /i?/--/[near-close near-front unrounded vowel]/or/[open-mid back unrounded vowel]/--/ae/contrasts (e.g. sheep-ship). Receptive vocabulary in the L2 was assessed using a standardized test. Information on age of onset and current richness of L2 exposure and parents' skills in the L2 was collected using a questionnaire. Results revealed that children were building lexical representations in the L2 but did not readily distinguish between minimal pairs. Analyses suggested that having underspecified phonolexical presentations in the L2 was potentially related to amount of L2 exposure outside school, presumably due to exposure to accented input. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1547-5441 1547-3341 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/15475441.2024.2429038 |
