Proficiency Predictors in Sequential Bilinguals

Presents an overview of research into variables that impact bilingual language acquisition, highlighting research outcomes from various disciplines.

Looks at research into variables that impact bilingual language acquisition, and highlights outcomes. It examines the language acquisition of adult Spanish-English bilinguals, demonstrating that the interactive nature of bilingual speakers' languages is in line with a holistic view of theories of the dynamic, interdependent nature of bilingualism.This Element provides an overview of research considering variables deemed to impact bilingual language acquisition, and highlights research outcomes from a variety of disciplines. An exploratory study takes into account these variables and examines the language acquisition of adult Spanish-English bilinguals across a range of domains in their two languages. The results demonstrate that the highly interactive nature of bilingual speakers' languages is in line with a holistic view of the dynamic, interdependent nature of bilingualism as described by usage-based theories and dynamic systems theories, and by the conceptualization of bilingual language from a Dynamic Interactive Processing Perspective.