Maczeakova, Sonia (2022) Early quadrilingual language acquisition: a longitudinal case study. Masters thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
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Maczeakova,Sonia (2022) MA Early quadrilingual language acquisition.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
This longitudinal study examines the early quadrilingual language acquisition of a young girl, Sofia, who was born and raised in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Sofia was exposed to Slovak, Japanese and English from birth and Italian from the age of 18 months. In addition to investigating the receptive and productive levels of Sofia’s multilingualism, we were interested in the influence of input quantity and contact variety on the acquisition of four languages in early childhood. Data in the form of two sets of video recordings with 4 interlocutors along with week-long language diaries were collected when Sofia was 3;01 and 3;11. The examination of the evidence showed that Sofia’s language acquisition of the four languages had a dynamic nature. Consistent with previous research, Sofia’s comprehension exceeded production in all four languages. At the age of 3;01, she was dominant in Slovak and Italian, and demonstrated some ability to produce English and Japanese. At the age of 3;11, she was found to be a productive trilingual and receptive quadrilingual, dominant in English, followed by Slovak, Italian, and then Japanese. Quantity of language input as well as contact variety in each language likely contributed to Sofia’s language acquisition. The findings are discussed in light of current research on multilingual language acquisition.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) P Language and Literature > PB Modern European Languages |
| Divisions: | Theses and Dissertations > Masters Dissertations |
| Depositing User: | Natalie Williams |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Feb 2023 14:08 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Feb 2023 14:08 |
| URI: | https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/2323 |
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