<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>In this study, language views and home language practice of sixteen immigrant parents were documented and related to the dual language behaviors of their young children (ages 1:09 to 3;06) who were enrolled in a Toronto English-language childcare center. De Houwer's (1999) model of early bilingualism was applied to the minority language context and external factors were used to explain the short-lived active bilingualism of the younger children and the passive bilingualism of the preschoolers. Presenting mothers and fathers with separate questionnaires proved to be a valuable methodological tool, which revealed similar language thinking but different home language practice. Immigrant mothers were more committed to their children's L1 development than were fathers, a finding, which supports and extends the parental gender difference noted in earlier work (Gleason, 2005; Lyon, 1991; Lyon &amp; Ellis, 1999). Negative effects of early L2 exposure on minority language children's incomplete L1, reported in earlier studies, were confirmed. A concrete outcome of the present study was the creation mylanguage.ca, a website intended to help immigrant parents understand their children's dual language learning. Even though the study presents a somewhat bleak picture of the continuation of L1, it concludes on an optimistic note, encouraging immigrant fathers to join forces with their L1-committed spouses and to help provide a nurturing L1 environment for their young children.</p></abstract>

In this study, language views and home language practice of sixteen immigrant parents were documented and related to the dual language behaviors of their young children (ages 1:09 to 3;06) who were enrolled in a Toronto English-language childcare center. De Houwer's (1999) model of early bilingualism was applied to the minority language context and external factors were used to explain the short-lived active bilingualism of the younger children and the passive bilingualism of the preschoolers. Presenting mothers and fathers with separate questionnaires proved to be a valuable methodological tool, which revealed similar language thinking but different home language practice. Immigrant mothers were more committed to their children's L1 development than were fathers, a finding, which supports and extends the parental gender difference noted in earlier work (Gleason, 2005; Lyon, 1991; Lyon & Ellis, 1999). Negative effects of early L2 exposure on minority language children's incomplete L1, reported in earlier studies, were confirmed. A concrete outcome of the present study was the creation mylanguage.ca, a website intended to help immigrant parents understand their children's dual language learning. Even though the study presents a somewhat bleak picture of the continuation of L1, it concludes on an optimistic note, encouraging immigrant fathers to join forces with their L1-committed spouses and to help provide a nurturing L1 environment for their young children.

Early bilingualism: children of immigrants in an English-language childcare center

Psychology of Language and Communication

In this study, language views and home language practice of sixteen immigrant parents were documented and related to the dual language behaviors of their young...

Early bilingualism: children of immigrants in an English-language childcare center

Published Online: Aug 22, 2008

Page range: 3 - 27

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10057-008-0001-2

Keywords
early bilingualism, active/ passive bilingualism, parental language attitudes, minority language, children's dual language learning

This content is open access.

Early bilingualism: children of immigrants in an English-language childcare center

Published Online: Aug 22, 2008

Page range: 3 - 27

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10057-008-0001-2

Keywordsearly bilingualism, active/ passive bilingualism, parental language attitudes, minority language, children's dual language learning

This content is open access.

Keywords
early bilingualism, active/ passive bilingualism, parental language attitudes, minority language, children's dual language learning