The Commutability Paradigm
Patrick Proctor
February 25, 2008
Linguistic Interdependence (Cummins, 1979)
L1 L2
Common Underlying Proficiency
Linguistic InterdependenceIf L1 is good, likely L2 is good
Younger Kids
- Goldenberg (1994): concepts of print, letter
names and sounds, rich linguistic input
- Lesaux & Siegel (2003): K-2 ELLs in Canada comparable to monolinguals– Update, Lesaux, Rupp, & Siegel (2007): ELLs
and monolinguals look comparable over time
Linguistic InterdependenceIf L1 is good, likely L2 is good
Older Kids
- Jiménez, García, & Pearson (2006): Reading strategies, translation, cognate awareness
- Proctor et al. (2005, 2006): English reading looks comparable to monolinguals, Spanish vocabulary affects English reading for average to good English readers
Reflect
Do these studies prove the interdependence hypothesis?
Sort of…Linguistic Interdependence is slightly
underspecified in that it doesn’t explicitly
consider:• L1 of the learner• Individual literacy skills
– “size”
– Metalinguistics
• L1 literacy development is key
Size and metalinguistics
TOMAR
TOMARv. To take
RÁPIDO
RÁPIDOadj. Fast, rapid
Mi mamá es inteligente.
My mother is smart/intelligent.
Si mi mamá fuera inteligente, sería feliz.
If my mother were intelligent, I’d be happy.
Nature of the L1
AMARILLO
ROJO
AZUL
VERDE
紅
綠
黃
藍
RED
YELLOW
GREEN
BLUE
Commutability Paradigm
Typological Relationships
Between Languages
MetalinguisticNature of the SkillDomain
Size of the Skill Domain
Commutability
Limits on Transfer
Different skills cross languages in different ways…• Print concepts• Alphabetics• Phonemics• Vocabulary • Strategies
Defining those limits determines commutability
Orders of magnitude
What skills are more or less likely to transfer?
L1 = Spanish vs. L1 = Arabic
Listening comprehension
Alphabetic knowledge
Vocabulary knowledge
Sound-symbol understanding
Reading comprehension
Commutability Model*
* Same sample and measures from students from Proctor et al. (2005, 2006). Oral language = vocabulary knowledge + listening comprehension; Spanish-English decoding = Spanish alphabetic knowledge + English alphabetic knowledge.Fit indices: (2 (2, N=91) = 1.88, p = .39)
Commutability ParadigmSize, orthography, grammar/syntax, metalinguistics
Consider again…
My mother is intelligent
Mi mamá es inteligente
ذكية هي أمي 我 媽媽 很 聰明
Application to practice
