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Bilingual But Which is Stronger? A Guide to Determining Language Dominance

Bilingualism is a superpower, but for many parents and educators, it also raises an important question: Which language is stronger? Understanding a child’s language dominance is crucial when supporting their development, especially in academic or social contexts. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or speech-language pathologist, this guide will walk you through practical, evidence-based methods for determining language dominance in children.





1. Parent and Teacher Observations: Everyday Language Use Speaks Volumes

One of the first steps to determining language dominance is simply asking the people closest to the child — parents and teachers. These everyday observations provide essential insights into how the child uses their languages in different contexts.


Questions to Ask:

  • Which language does your child use most often at home?

  • Does your child prefer one language over the other during play or learning activities?

  • What language does your child use when speaking to friends or relatives?


Why it matters: Parent reports are often reliable indicators of language proficiency. Research by Bedore et al. (2005) shows that parents can provide critical insights into a child’s language exposure and use patterns.


2. Structured Surveys: Quantifying Language Exposure and Use

To gather more formal data, using language surveys like the Bilingual Language Profile (BLP) can offer a structured way to measure language exposure and use. These surveys capture how much the child uses each language in different settings, such as home, school, or social environments.


How It Works:

Parents or teachers fill out surveys evaluating language use frequency, exposure, and preferences in various contexts.


Evidence: The BLP has been shown to provide valuable quantitative data on language dominance, helping track changes over time (Gertken et al., 2014).


3. Standardized Language Proficiency Tests: When and Why We Use Them

Standardized tests, such as the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-5), can be valuable tools for assessing a child's language skills in a structured setting. The CELF-5 evaluates core aspects like grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension across both languages. However, clinicians often choose not to report scores when using the CELF-5, especially in bilingual contexts.


Why We Don’t Always Report CELF Scores:

The CELF-5 was developed with a focus on Standard American English, meaning it may not accurately reflect a bilingual child’s abilities in both languages, especially if the child’s home language is not fully represented in the test. The test is known to exhibit linguistic and cultural biases, often misidentifying students from diverse backgrounds as having a language disorder when they may just be demonstrating typical language development for their linguistic context (Crowley & Bucaj, 2023). For this reason, many clinicians use the CELF-5 to informally gauge language skills but rely more on dynamic assessments and observations to form conclusions.


4. Language Sampling: Real-Life Language in Action

One of the most practical ways to assess language dominance is through language sampling — observing how a child uses language in natural conversations. This method involves collecting samples from storytelling or casual dialogue in both languages, offering insights into vocabulary usage, sentence structure, and narrative skills.


Tools to Use:

Using tools like the School-Age Language Assessment Measures (SLAM), clinicians can capture language samples in both languages to identify strengths and weaknesses.

Research: Studies show that language sampling is a reliable method for assessing bilingual children’s language abilities in real-world settings (Miller et al., 2006).


5. Academic Performance: What Schoolwork Tells Us About Language Dominance

For school-aged children, their academic performance often reflects their dominant language. Skills like reading comprehension, writing, and vocabulary tend to be stronger in the language in which they are more comfortable.


Try This:

Compare your child's academic performance in tasks such as reading, writing, or even math word problems in both languages. This can offer a clear indication of which language is stronger.


6. Consider the Whole Picture: Environmental and Cultural Factors

Language dominance is not static; it evolves based on factors like age, schooling, and family environment. A child’s dominant language can shift over time depending on how much exposure they receive to each language. For instance, a child who primarily speaks Spanish at home but is enrolled in an English-speaking school may gradually shift towards English dominance.


Supporting Bilingual Development

Determining a child's language dominance helps guide how we support their bilingual development. While standardized tests like the CELF-5 offer some insights, they can be biased and unreliable, especially when working with diverse populations (Crowley & Bucaj, 2023). Instead, combining parent/teacher observations, structured surveys, natural language sampling, and academic performance assessments gives a more holistic and accurate picture of a child’s language abilities.


Language dominance can change over time, so it's essential to reassess periodically and adapt support accordingly. With the right tools and understanding, we can help bilingual children thrive in both of their languages.


References:

  1. Bedore, L. M., Peña, E. D., Joyner, D., & Macken, C. (2005). Parent and teacher ratings of bilingual language proficiency and language development concerns. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 8(1), 1-17.

  2. Gertken, L. M., Amengual, M., & Birdsong, D. (2014). Assessing language dominance with the Bilingual Language Profile. In Measuring L2 proficiency: Perspectives from SLA (pp. 208-225). Multilingual Matters.

  3. Miller, J. F., Andriacchi, K., Nockerts, A., et al. (2006). Language sample analysis: A clinician’s guide. SALT Software, LLC.

  4. Crowley, C., & Bucaj, E. (2023). Analysis of the CELF-5 for validity, reliability, and bias. Leaders Project. Available from: https://www.leadersproject.org.



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