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1. English‐learning infants developing sensitivity to vowel phonotactic cues to word segmentation

   https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13564  

   Katsuda, Hironori ; Sundara, Megha ( September 2024 , Developmental Science)

   Previous research has shown that when domain‐general transitional probability (TP) cues to word segmentation are in conflict with language‐specific stress cues, English‐learning 5‐ and 7‐month‐olds rely on TP, whereas 9‐month‐olds rely on stress. In two artificial languages, we evaluated English‐learning infants’ sensitivity to TP cues to word segmentation vis‐a‐vis language‐specific vowel phonotactic (VP) cues—English words do not end in lax vowels. These cues were either consistent or conflicting. When these cues were in conflict, 10‐month‐olds relied on the VP cues, whereas 5‐month‐olds relied on TP. These findings align with statistical bootstrapping accounts, where infants initially use domain‐general distributional information for word segmentation, and subsequently discover language‐specific patterns based on segmented words.

   Research indicates that when transitional probability (TP) conflicts with stress cues for word segmentation, English‐learning 9‐month‐olds rely on stress, whereas younger infants rely on TP.

   In two artificial languages, we evaluated English‐learning infants’ sensitivity to TP versus vowel phonotactic (VP) cues for word segmentation.

   When these cues conflicted, 10‐month‐olds relied on VPs, whereas 5‐month‐olds relied on TP.

   These findings align with statistical bootstrapping accounts, where infants first utilize domain‐general distributional information for word segmentation, and then identify language‐specific patterns from segmented words.

    

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2. Patterns of mutual exclusivity and retention: A study of monolingual and bilingual 2-year-olds

   https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1111/infa.12432  

   Rocha-Hidalgo, J. ; Feller, M. ; Blanchfield, O. A. ; Kucker, S. C. ; Barr, R ( November 2021 , Infancy)

   When children learn their native language, they tend to treat objects as if they only have one label—a principle known as mutual exclusivity. However, bilingual children are faced with a different cognitive challenge—they need to learn to associate two labels with one object. In the present study, we compared bilingual and monolingual 24-month-olds' performance on a challenging and semi-naturalistic forced-choice referent selection task and retention test. Overall, both language groups performed similarly on referent selection but differed on retention. Specifically, while monolingual infants showed some retention, bilingual infants performed at chance and significantly worse than their monolingual peers. 

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3. Patterns of mutual exclusivity and retention: A study of monolingual and bilingual 2‐year‐olds

   https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12432  

   Rocha‐Hidalgo, Joscelin ; Feller, Mary ; Blanchfield, Olivia A. ; Kucker, Sarah C. ; Barr, Rachel F. ( August 2021 , Infancy)

   When children learn their native language, they tend to treat objects as if they only have one label—a principle known as mutual exclusivity. However, bilingual children are faced with a different cognitive challenge—they need to learn to associate two labels with one object. In the present study, we compared bilingual and monolingual 24‐month‐olds’ performance on a challenging and semi‐naturalistic forced‐choice referent selection task and retention test. Overall, both language groups performed similarly on referent selection but differed on retention. Specifically, while monolingual infants showed some retention, bilingual infants performed at chance and significantly worse than their monolingual peers.

    

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4. Complexity matching and lexical matching in monolingual and bilingual conversations

   https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728919000774  

   Schneider, S ; Ramirez-Aristizabal, A ; Gavilan, C ; Kello, C.T. ( January 2020 , Bilingualism)

   When people interact, aspects of their speech and language patterns often converge in inter- actions involving one or more languages. Most studies of speech convergence in conversations have examined monolingual interactions, whereas most studies of bilingual speech conver- gence have examined spoken responses to prompts. However, it is not uncommon in multi- lingual communities to converse in two languages, where each speaker primarily produces only one of the two languages. The present study examined complexity matching and lexical matching as two measures of speech convergence in conversations spoken in English, Spanish, or both languages. Complexity matching measured convergence in the hierarchical timing of speech, and lexical matching measured convergence in the frequency distributions of lemmas produced. Both types of matching were found equally in all three language conditions. Taken together, the results indicate that convergence is robust to monolingual and bilingual interac- tions because it stems from basic mechanisms of coordination and communication. 

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5. Concepts Are Restructured During Language Contact: The Birth of Blue and Other Color Concepts in Tsimane’-Spanish Bilinguals

   https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976231199742  

   Malik-Moraleda, Saima ; Mahowald, Kyle ; Conway, Bevil_R ; Gibson, Edward ( October 2023 , Psychological Science)

   Words and the concepts they represent vary across languages. Here we ask if mother-tongue concepts are altered by learning a second language. What happens when speakers of Tsimane’, a language with few consensus color terms, learn Bolivian Spanish, a language with more terms? Three possibilities arise: Concepts in Tsimane’ may remain unaffected, or they may be remapped, either by Tsimane’ terms taking on new meanings or by borrowing Bolivian-Spanish terms. We found that adult bilingual speakers ( n = 30) remapped Tsimane’ concepts without importing Bolivian-Spanish terms into Tsimane’. All Tsimane’ terms become more precise; for example, concepts of monolingual shandyes and yụshñus (~green or blue, used synonymously by Tsimane’ monolinguals; n = 71) come to reflect the Bolivian-Spanish distinction of verde (~green) and azul (~blue). These results show that learning a second language can change the concepts in the first language.

    

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