Schooling and language usage matter in heritage bilingual processing

Sortal classifiers in Mandarin

Dados Bibliográficos

ID11655894
AutoresJia Hao (0000-0003-3730-0528, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, autor correspondente), Mikio Kubota (0000-0003-0580-1045, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway; University of Bergen, Norway), Fatih Bayram (0000-0002-5024-3612, UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Jorge González Alonso (0000-0001-5047-3226, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway; Nebrija University, Spain), Theres Grüter (0000-0001-6354-9787, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa), Ming Li (0000-0001-7109-5084, Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate), Muhan Li (0000-0002-8601-503X, UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Joshua Rothman (0000-0002-5290-3055, Lancaster University, UK; UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway; Nebrija University, Spain)
Ano2024
Volume41
Fascículo4
Páginas649-674
Data de publicação2024-09-23
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSecond language Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0267-6583 • E-ISSN: 1477-0326
EditoraSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/02676583241270900
OpenAlexW4404007307
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas7
Referências citadas48

Mandarin sortal classifiers simultaneously encode semantic and grammatical form class cues. Building on a second language (L2) study of Grüter et al. we used the same visual world eye-tracking experiment, designed to examine the relative use of the two cues, testing Mandarin heritage speakers (HSs) living in an English-speaking environment. Given the importance of understanding individual differences, the present study also examined if/how individual HSs may systematically differ as a function of experience with Mandarin. As a group, HSs – like the first language (L1) group in Grüter et al.’s study – showed a clear reliance on the grammatical form class cue. Nevertheless, individual HSs with Mandarin schooling and with more Mandarin social exposure/use showed more reliance on semantics, the L2 pattern observed in Grüter et al. We discuss why this latter pattern might have obtained (formal and informal literacy), while highlighting the value of individual difference approaches to understanding HS processing

Heritage language · Linguistics · Mandarin Chinese · Morpheme · Computer Science · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation