Perspective-taking and language competence as predictors of language accommodation by adolescents from monolingual and bilingual households

Abstract

In this study, we examined how growing up in a bilingual (Swedish-Finnish) versus monolingual (Swedish only) household in a bilingual region of Finland affected adolescents’ language competence and language-related perspective-taking, and how these factors were related to adolescents’ language choice in interaction. Survey data were collected from 197 secondary school students in Finland, and analyzed via path modeling. Results supported predictions that children from bilingual households are both more aware of other speakers’ linguistic preferences and needs, and more competent in their language skills, and that both these factors contribute to linguistic accommodation (i.e. language choice). Specifically, our findings suggest language competence appears to function as the ‘default’ determinant of language choice and that perspective-taking attenuates this relationship as consideration of others’ wants or needs (that differ from this default) increase. These findings provide new insights into the drivers of language choice in multilingual contexts.

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