Emily Barnes, Neasa Ní Chiaráin, Ailbhe Ní Chasaide
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
This paper examines the construct of bilingual phonemic awareness in Irish-English bilinguals. Though traditionally viewed as a skill or ability which transfers across languages, recent accounts have considered whether phonemic awareness has a language-specific component. This study used a cross-sectional design to examine this question. A total of 345 students in Irish immersion schools and in schools in Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas took part in the study and were administered Phoneme Deletion and Phoneme Matching in both Irish and English. Results demonstrate (i) a low correlation between Phoneme Matching and Phoneme Deletion scores within each language (ii) a significant difference between Phoneme Matching scores in Irish and English, but no significant difference in Phoneme Deletion scores in each language (iii) that orthographic representations influence performance on Phoneme Matching tasks in both Irish and English, and (iv) that participants demonstrate a low level of accuracy on velarised-palatalised phonemic contrasts, which are specific to Irish. Overall, this paper concludes that bilingual phonemic awareness is a multidimensional – rather than a unitary – construct. It has both a metalinguistic and epilinguistic component, and is likely influenced by linguistic, sociolinguistic and educational factors. The practical implications for dual-language education are discussed.
期刊介绍:
Reading and writing skills are fundamental to literacy. Consequently, the processes involved in reading and writing and the failure to acquire these skills, as well as the loss of once well-developed reading and writing abilities have been the targets of intense research activity involving professionals from a variety of disciplines, such as neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics and education. The findings that have emanated from this research are most often written up in a lingua that is specific to the particular discipline involved, and are published in specialized journals. This generally leaves the expert in one area almost totally unaware of what may be taking place in any area other than their own. Reading and Writing cuts through this fog of jargon, breaking down the artificial boundaries between disciplines. The journal focuses on the interaction among various fields, such as linguistics, information processing, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, speech and hearing science and education. Reading and Writing publishes high-quality, scientific articles pertaining to the processes, acquisition, and loss of reading and writing skills. The journal fully represents the necessarily interdisciplinary nature of research in the field, focusing on the interaction among various disciplines, such as linguistics, information processing, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, speech and hearing science and education. Coverage in Reading and Writing includes models of reading, writing and spelling at all age levels; orthography and its relation to reading and writing; computer literacy; cross-cultural studies; and developmental and acquired disorders of reading and writing. It publishes research articles, critical reviews, theoretical papers, and case studies. Reading and Writing is one of the most highly cited journals in Education, Educational Research, and Educational Psychology.