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The Complex Role of Utterance Length on Grammaticality: Multivariate Multilevel Analysis of English and Spanish Utterances of First-Grade English Learners.
- Source :
-
Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research . Jan2022, Vol. 65 Issue 1, p238-252. 15p. 4 Charts, 1 Graph. - Publication Year :
- 2022
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Abstract
- Purpose: This study examined the relationship between utterance length, syntactic complexity, and the probability of making an error at the utterance level. Method: The participants in this study included 830 Spanish-speaking first graders who were learning English at school. Story retells in both Spanish and English were collected from all children. Generalized mixed linear models were used to examine within-child and between-children effects of utterance length and subordination on the probability of making an error at the utterance level. Results: The relationship between utterance length and grammaticality was found to differ by error type (omission vs. commission), language (Spanish vs. English), and level of analysis (within-child vs. between-children). For errors of commission, the probability of making an error increased as a child produced utterances that were longer relative to their average utterance length (within-child effect). Contrastively, for errors of omission, the probability of making an error decreased when a child produced utterances that were longer relative to their average utterance length (within-child effect). In English, a child who produced utterances that were, on average, longer than the average utterance length for all children produced more errors of commission and fewer errors of omission (between-children effect). This between-children effect was similar in Spanish for errors of commission but nonsignificant for errors of omission. For both error types, the within-child effects of utterance length were moderated by the use of subordination. Conclusion: The relationship between utterance length and grammaticality is complex and varies by error type, language, and whether the frame of reference is the child's own language (within-child effect) or the language of other children (between-children effect). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 10924388
- Volume :
- 65
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 154696194
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00464