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Response to Commentaries on the interface between bilingual development and specific language impairment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2010

JOHANNE PARADIS*
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
*
Johanne Paradis, Department of Linguistics, 4-46 Assiniboia Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E7, Canada. E-mail: johanne.paradis@ualberta.ca

Extract

The Keynote Article examined research situated at the interface of bilingualism and specific language impairment (SLI) primarily to evaluate theories of SLI and secondarily for clinical considerations. The purpose was not to argue for one theoretical perspective over another, but instead to demonstrate how they both need some refinements and extensions to account for data from bilingual children. The breadth and depth of the Commentaries on this Keynote Article were impressive, and common themes emerged across many of them. This response article is organized into sections according to these themes. I hope that the review and synthesis in each section reveals how this collection of contributions has moved us forward in our understanding of the interface between bilingual development and SLI. The final section of this article includes more longitudinal data from English second language (L2) children to explore ideas arising from the discussion of cross-linguistic transfer, cognitive processes, and age effects.

Type
Author's Response
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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