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The invented spellings of non-Spanish phonemes by Spanish–English bilingual and English monolingual kindergarteners

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Abstract

This study compared the English spelling of native Spanish-speaking children receiving English-only instruction with monolingual native English speaking children at the end of kindergarten. In invented spelling, young bilingual children can show us how they perceive the unique sounds of English by the way they map English letters onto non-Spanish sounds. The spelling of non-Spanish phonemes and English and Spanish stop consonants differing in voice onset time were examined. The relationship of plausible English spelling with English vocabulary knowledge was also investigated. The bilingual kindergarteners had significantly fewer correct spellings of ending stop consonants, which differ phonetically in English and Spanish, than did the monolingual group. No significant difference between the two groups at the end of kindergarten was found when spelling non-Spanish phonemes however. The lexical restructuring model was applied to explain a positive correlation between vocabulary and plausible English spellings.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Principal Lambert and the students and teachers involved in this study. I am also very grateful to Carol Fowler for her support and valuable comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Haskins Laboratories, 300 George St. Suite 900, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Laura B. Raynolds

  2. Fordham University, 113 W. 60th St., New York, NY, 10023, USA

    Joanna K. Uhry

Authors
  1. Laura B. Raynolds
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  2. Joanna K. Uhry
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura B. Raynolds.

Appendices

Appendix A: Spelling assessment items

Ask the child to repeat the word aloud before writing it.

  1. 1.

    bath—I take a bath when I am dirty.—bath

  2. 2.

    three—My little brother is three years old.—three

  3. 3.

    ride—I want to ride a bike.—ride

  4. 4.

    vet—A vet is a doctor for animals.—vet

  5. 5.

    robe—I put on my robe at night.—robe

  6. 6.

    live—I live in New Rochelle.—live

  7. 7.

    zip—I have to zip up my coat.—zip

  8. 8.

    cap—The baseball player wears a cap on his head.—cap

  9. 9.

    buzz—Buzz goes the bumblebee.—buzz

  10. 10.

    ship—The ship goes up the river.—ship

  11. 11.

    back—I fell off the slide and hurt my back.—back

  12. 12.

    rush—Do your work slowly and carefully, don’t rush!—rush

  13. 13.

    log—We used a log to make a fire.—log

  14. 14.

    breathe—I want to breathe in the cold air.—breathe

  15. 15.

    age—My brother is six years of age.—age

  16. 16.

    job—I did a good job today!—job

  17. 17.

    write—I learned how to write my name in kindergarten.—write

  18. 18.

    those—Those are the best hot dogs!—those

  19. 19.

    rang—The bell rang.—rang

Appendix B

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Phonetic symbol

Phonics symbol

ð

/th/ voiced

θ

/th/ voiceless

ŋ

/nɡ/

ʃ

/sh/

ʤ

/j/

ʧ

/ch/

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Raynolds, L.B., Uhry, J.K. The invented spellings of non-Spanish phonemes by Spanish–English bilingual and English monolingual kindergarteners. Read Writ 23, 495–513 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-009-9169-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-009-9169-7

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