Semilingualism — less than native-like skill in both languages — is associated with detrimental cognitive and academic consequences¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 1979 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Evidence is cited that some minority-language and migrant children show semilingualism, with detrimental cognitive and academic consequences. → Cummins 1979

Evidence¶

Cummins 1979¶

Cummins, James. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED257312. doi:10.3102/00346543049002222

q2 · i? · theoretical · r3

The review cites Skutnabb-Kangas and Toukomaa (1976) on semilingualism among minority and migrant children. The paper stresses the term "cannot be used as a strictly linguistic concept at all"; supporting research measured cognitive aspects of language, not surface fluency alone.

"There is also strong evidence (Skutnabb-Kangas and Toukomaa, 1976) that some groups of minority language and migrant children are characterized by "semilingualism," (i.e., less than native-like skills in both languages) with its detrimental cognitive and academic consequences."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Oral Language — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Preserving a bilingual student's heritage language supports rather than hinders English acquisition — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Preservation of the mother tongue predicts second-language achievement among migrant children — related
• Promoting minority children's L1 raises L1 achievement at no cost to L2 achievement — reports the opposite