Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
Volume 123, Issue 3, 1994, Pages 264-283

Fifty Years of Language Maintenance and Language Dominance in Bilingual Hispanic Immigrants (Article)

Bahrick H.P.* , Hall L.K. , Goggin J.P. , Bahrick L.E. , Berger S.A.
  • a Department of Psychology, Ohio Wesleyan University, United States
  • b Department of Psychology, Ohio Wesleyan University, United States
  • c Department of Psychology, University of Texas, El Paso, United States
  • d Department of Psychology, Florida International University, United States
  • e Department of Psychology, Ohio Wesleyan University, United States

Abstract

Spanish language tests of 801 Cuban and Mexican immigrants showed no evidence of language loss during 50 years of U.S. residence; a few years after immigration, their English vocabulary approximated that of English monolinguals. The critical-age hypothesis was not supported for the acquisition of English vocabulary when English schooling and language usage were controlled by multiple regression. Most Ss continued to speak about as much Spanish as English; but read, wrote, and heard (on television and radio) far more English than Spanish. Under these conditions, Ss maintained Spanish dominance on tests of vocabulary recognition, lexical decision, and oral comprehension. Dominance was task specific and shifted to English on a category generation task about 12 years after immigration. No evidence of bilingual language interference was found; this is attributed to the strong Spanish foundation of the participants.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

Language Tests educational status Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. human linguistics ethnic group comparative study Aged language Hispanic Americans United States male female pilot study socioeconomics questionnaire Article Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. speech perception Questionnaires adult age Age Factors Pilot Projects Middle Age language test Vocabulary
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0028502157&doi=10.1037%2f0096-3445.123.3.264&partnerID=40&md5=6698c6d1869553c0c1d50c604503b363
DOI: 10.1037/0096-3445.123.3.264
ISSN: 00963445
Cited by: 63
Original Language: English