Reference Introduction in the Narratives of Dutch English Foreign Language Learners with Developmental Language Disorder

Abstract

Not much research has as of yet been done into second language learning by children with DLD. In order to contribute to the limited research on this subject the current study looks at the way in which children with DLD introduce referents in their L1 Dutch and their L2 English. 76 participants from grades 4 through 6 were twice asked to narrate two stories, one in Dutch, and one in English, with four months between the pre-test and the post-test. It was expected that the children would use more adequate referents in their L1 than in their L2, this difference in adequacy was expected to decrease over time, and the L1 adequacy was expected to predict the performance in the L2 due to positive transfer from the L1 to the L2. The results show that the children performed better in their L1 than in their L2, as expected. However, this difference did not decrease over time, and no relationship between the proficiency in the L1 and the proficiency in the L2 was found.