The Complex Role of Utterance Length on Grammaticality: Multivariate Multilevel Analysis of English and Spanish Utterances of First-Grade English Learners.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

This study examined the relationship between utterance length, syntactic complexity, and the probability of making an error at the utterance level.

Method

The participants in this study included 830 Spanish-speaking first graders who were learning English at school. Story retells in both Spanish and English were collected from all children. Generalized mixed linear models were used to examine within-child and between-children effects of utterance length and subordination on the probability of making an error at the utterance level.

Results

The relationship between utterance length and grammaticality was found to differ by error type (omission vs. commission), language (Spanish vs. English), and level of analysis (within-child vs. between-children). For errors

SUBMITTER: Castilla-Earls A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9150748 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature