Publication: Describing bilinguals: A systematic review of labels and descriptions used in the literature between 2005–2015
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you.
Citation
SURRAIN, SARAH, and GIGI LUK. 2017. “Describing Bilinguals: A Systematic Review of Labels and Descriptions Used in the Literature Between 2005–2015.” Bilingualism: Language and Cognition (December 26): 1–15. doi:10.1017/s1366728917000682.
Research Data
Abstract
Recent years have seen a surge in research comparing bilinguals to monolinguals, yet synthesizing this literature is complicated by the diversity of language and social backgrounds behind these dichotomous labels. The current study examines the labels and descriptions reported in 186 studies comparing bilinguals and monolinguals published between 2005-2015 in order to understand how bilingualism has been operationalized and describe the degree to which different facets of bilingual experience are reported. Proficiency and usage were the most frequently reported features (77% and 79%), followed by language history (67%) and the language of schooling (60%). However, less than half of the studies measured proficiency objectively or reported proportional usage, and even less - 30% - described the sociolinguistic context from which the sample was drawn. Given the increase in language contact due to globalization, more transparent and comprehensive reporting of participant characteristics is critical to building our understanding of how bilingualism affects experience.
Description
Other Available Sources
Keywords
bilingualism, multilingualism, systematic review, heterogeneity, contextual factors
Terms of Use
This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles (OAP), as set forth at Terms of Service