Browsing by Author "Aktan-Erciyes, Asli"

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Citation Count: 7
Children's Thinking-For Bidirectional Effects of L1 Turkish and L2 English for Motion Events
(John Benjamins Publishing Co, 2021) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Goksun, Tilbe; Tekcan, Ali Izzet; Aksu-Koc, Ayhan
This study investigates how children lexicalize motion events in their first and second languages, L1-Turkish and L2-English. English is a satellite-framed language that conflates motion with manner expressed in the main verb and path in a non-verbal element, whereas Turkish is a verb-framed language that conflates motion with path in the main verb and expresses manner in a subordinated verb. We asked three questions: (i) Does early L2 acquisition in an L1 dominant society affect motion event lexicalization in L1? (2) Is the effect of L2 on L1 subject to change due to decline in L2 exposure? (3) Do L1 vs. L2 lexicalizations differ within the bilingual mind? One hundred and twelve 5- and 7-year-old monolingual and bilingual children watched and described video-clips depicting motion events. For L1 descriptions, 5-year-old bilinguals used more manner structures than monolinguals. No difference was found for 7-year-olds. For L2 descriptions, 7-yearold bilinguals used more manner-only constructions compared to their L1 descriptions. For 5-year-old bilinguals no difference was found. Findings suggest that early exposure to a second language had an impact on how motion events are packaged, while decline in L2 exposure dampened the effects of L2.
Citation Count: 2
Early Parental Causal Language Input Predicts Children's Later Causal Verb Understanding
(Cambridge Univ Press, 2023) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Goksun, Tilbe
How does parental causal input relate to children's later comprehension of causal verbs? Causal constructions in verbs differ across languages. Turkish has both lexical and morphological causatives. We asked whether (1) parental causal language input varied for different types of play (guided vs. free play), (2) early parental causal language input predicted children's causal verb understanding. Twenty-nine infants participated at three timepoints. Parents used lexical causatives more than morphological ones for guided-play for both timepoints, but for free-play, the same difference was only found at Time 2. For Time 3, children were tested on a verb comprehension and a vocabulary task. Morphological causative input, but not lexical causative input, during free-play predicted children's causal verb comprehension. For guided-play, the same relation did not hold. Findings suggest a role of specific types of causal input on children's understanding of causal verbs that are received in certain play contexts.
Citation Count: 0
Influences of early and intense L2 exposure on L1 causal verb production: Comparison of 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old bilingual and monolingual children
(Sage Publications Ltd, 2024) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Ger, Ebru; Goksun, Tilbe
This study investigates the influences of early and intense L2 exposure on children's L1 causative verb production, assessed by an experimental causative verb production task. Turkish expresses causality by morphological and lexical means, whereas English does so by periphrastic and lexical means. Learning L2 English might enhance L1 Turkish causative verb production by highlighting the parallels and contrasts in causal expressions between the languages, which may result in an enriched L1 causative use. Five-, 7 -, and 9-year-old L1-Turkish L2-English bilingual (n = 80) and L1-Turkish monolingual (n = 80) children participated in the study in L1-Turkish. Results indicated that language group differences only emerged for the use of morphological causative verbs in favor of 5-year-old bilinguals compared with monolingual peers. Age group differences occurred only for the monolingual group and only for morphological verbs. Specifically, monolingual 7- and 9-year-olds performed better than monolingual 5-year-olds. Causative verb-type differences were only seen for 5-year-old monolinguals, who performed better for lexical than morphological verbs; in contrast, 5-year-old bilinguals performed equally well on the two types of causatives, and better than 5-year-old monolinguals on morphological causatives. Overall, these findings indicate that learning an L2 with structural similarities and differences compared with L1 might enhance children's awareness and correct use of causal linguistic structures.
Citation Count: 1
Linguistic and nonlinguistic evaluation of motion events in a path-focused language
(Cambridge Univ Press, 2022) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Akbuga, Emir; Dik, Feyza Nur; Goksun, Tilbe
This study examines how properties of path (the trajectory of motion) and manner (how an action is performed) components of motion events are reflected in linguistic and nonlinguistic motion event conceptualization in a path-focused language, Turkish. In two experiments, we investigated how path and manner differed in salience (i.e., prominence) and ease of expression (EoE, i.e., effort of describing), and how these factors were related to lexicalization and similarity judgments of motion events. In Experiment 1, participants rated motion events based on path and manner salience and EoE and expressed path and manner in a written format. Results indicated that manner was rated as more salient and path as easier to express. Path salience and EoE were related to both types (i.e., number of different expressions) and the total number of paths and manners used. However, manner EoE but not salience was associated with only types and the total number of manners used. In Experiment 2, participants rated the similarity of motion event pairs created using the ratings in Experiment 1. We found that higher manner salience and EoE difference were associated with lower similarity ratings. These findings suggest that salience and EoE of path and manner are related to both linguistic and nonlinguistic aspects of motion event conceptualization.
Citation Count: 0
The Link Between Early Iconic Gesture Comprehension and Receptive Language
(Wiley, 2024) Dogan, Isil; Ozer, Demet; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Furman, Reyhan; Demir-Lira, O. Ece; Ozcaliskan, Seyda; Goksun, Tilbe
Children comprehend iconic gestures relatively later than deictic gestures. Previous research with English-learning children indicated that they could comprehend iconic gestures at 26 months, a pattern whose extension to other languages is not yet known. The present study examined Turkish-learning children's iconic gesture comprehension and its relation to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. Turkish-learning children between the ages of 22- and 30-month-olds (N = 92, M = 25.6 months, SD = 1.6; 51 girls) completed a gesture comprehension task in which they were asked to choose the correct picture that matched the experimenter's speech and iconic gestures. They were also administered a standardized receptive vocabulary test. Children's performance in the gesture comprehension task increased with age, which was also related to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. When children were categorized into younger and older age groups based on the median age (i.e., 26 months-the age at which iconic gesture comprehension was present for English-learning children), only the older group performed at chance level in the task. At the same time, receptive vocabulary was positively related to gesture comprehension for younger but not older children. These findings suggest a shift in iconic gesture comprehension at around 26 months and indicate a possible link between receptive vocabulary knowledge and iconic gesture comprehension, particularly for children younger than 26 months.
Citation Count: 4
Motion Event Representation in L1-Turkish Versus L2-English Speech and Gesture: Relations To Eye Movements for Event Components
(Sage Publications Ltd, 2023) Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Akbuga, Emir; Kizildere, Erim; Goksun, Tilbe
Purpose: We investigated interrelations among speech, co-speech gestures, and visual attention in first language (L1)-Turkish second language (L2)-English speakers' descriptions of motion events. We asked whether young adults differed in their spoken, gestural expressions, and visual attention toward event components of manner (how an action is performed) and path (the trajectory of an action) after controlling for their L2 proficiency. Methodology: Participants were 49 native Turkish speakers (M-age = 20.98) whose second language is English. After watching each video (recording eye movements), they were asked to describe the motion event videos, and their speech and gesture were coded. English competence level was measured using a standardized assessment. Data and Analysis: We performed analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) to investigate both within- and across-language differences for L1-Turkish and L2-English spoken and gestural expressions. To analyze eye-gaze behaviors with respect to language and event component differences, we performed t-tests. Last, hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between visual attention and the use of path and manner in speech and gesture separately. Findings: For L1-Turkish speech, participants used more path than manner constructions, indicating no particular effect of L2 on L1. For L2-English, participants used similar amounts of path and manner descriptions. Path gestures dominated for both L1-Turkish and L2-English. Participants allocated more attention to figures possibly related to manners rather than grounds (paths). There was no effect of L2 proficiency on verbal and gestural explanations or visual attention to events. Originality: This study adopts an integrative approach through investigating speech, gesture, and eye-gaze behavior patterns in motion event conceptualization while also addressing L1 and L2 differences within this framework. Implications: These findings highlight the similarities in visual attention and the use of gestures across L1-Turkish and L2-English motion event descriptions, and only an expected difference in verbal expressions.
Citation Count: 4
Motor Skills, Language Development, and Visual Processing in Preterm and Full-Term Infants
(Springer, 2023) Kobas, Mert; Kizildere, Erim; Dogan, Isil; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Demir-Lira, O. Ece; Akman, Ipek; Goksun, Tilbe
Language development is intertwined with motor development. This study examined how visual processing might mediate the relation between language development and motor skills in preterm (PT, n = 34, Mean gestational age = 30 weeks) and full-term infants (FT, n = 35, Mean gestational age = 38.9 weeks) at 13 months of age. Infants' visual processing, fine and gross motor skills were tested using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Parents reported on infants' language skills (word comprehension and early communicative behavior), using the Turkish version of CDI (TCDI). Results showed that PT infants performed worse than their FT peers on gross motor skills and visual processing, but not on language. When controlling for age and neonatal condition (being preterm or not), visual processing mediated the relation between gross motor skills and word comprehension as well as early communicative behavior. However, for fine motor skills, visual processing mediated the relation between fine motor skills and early communicative behavior but not word comprehension. The relations between motor skills and visual processing were more robust for the PT group than the FT group. Following developmental cascades, these findings suggest that motor skills contribute to language development through visual processing. These relations are prominent for preterm infants who have delays in motor skills. PT children's limited interactions with their environment due to problems in motor skills can be connected to delays in visual processing.
Citation Count: 0
The Multifaceted Nature of Early Vocabulary Development: Connecting Children's Characteristics With Parental Input Types
(Wiley, 2024) Goksun, Tilbe; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Karadoller, Dilay Z.; Demir-Lira, O. Ece
Children need to learn the demands of their native language in the early vocabulary development phase. In this dynamic process, parental multimodal input may shape neurodevelopmental trajectories while also being tailored by child-related factors. Moving beyond typically characterized group profiles, in this article, we synthesize growing evidence on the effects of parental multimodal input (amount, quality, or absence), domain-specific input (space and math), and language-specific input (causal verbs and sound symbols) on preterm, full-term, and deaf children's early vocabulary development, focusing primarily on research with children learning Turkish and Turkish Sign Language. We advocate for a theoretical perspective, integrating neonatal characteristics and parental input, and acknowledging the unique constraints of languages.
Citation Count: 2
Multimodal language in bilingual and monolingual children: Gesture production and speech disfluency
(Cambridge Univ Press, 2023) Arslan, Burcu; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Goeksun, Tilbe
Bilingual and monolingual children might have different styles of using multimodal language. This study investigates speech disfluency and gesture production of 5- and 7-year-old Turkish monolingual (N = 61) and Turkish-English bilingual children (N = 51). We examined monolinguals' Turkish narratives and bilinguals' Turkish and English narratives. Results indicated that bilinguals were more disfluent than monolinguals, particularly for silent and filled (e.g., umm) pauses. Bilinguals used silent pauses and repetitions (e.g., cat cat) more frequently in English than in Turkish. Gesture use was comparable across language and age groups, except for iconic gestures. Monolinguals produced more iconic gestures than bilinguals. Children's overall gesture frequency predicted disfluency rates only in Turkish. Different gesture types might be orchestrated in the multimodal system, contributing to narrative fluency. The use of disfluency and gesture types might provide insight into bilingual and monolingual children's language development and communication strategies.
Citation Count: 0
Multimodal Language in Child-Directed Versus Adult-Directed Speech
(Sage Publications Ltd, 2023) Kandemir, Songul; Ozer, Demet; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli
Speakers design their multimodal communication according to the needs and knowledge of their interlocutors, phenomenon known as audience design. We use more sophisticated language (e.g., longer sentences with complex grammatical forms) when communicating with adults compared with children. This study investigates how speech and co-speech gestures change in adult-directed speech (ADS) versus child-directed speech (CDS) for three different tasks. Overall, 66 adult participants (M-age = 21.05, 60 female) completed three different tasks (story-reading, storytelling and address description) and they were instructed to pretend to communicate with a child (CDS) or an adult (ADS). We hypothesised that participants would use more complex language, more beat gestures, and less iconic gestures in the ADS compared with the CDS. Results showed that, for CDS, participants used more iconic gestures in the story-reading task and storytelling task compared with ADS. However, participants used more beat gestures in the storytelling task for ADS than CDS. In addition, language complexity did not differ across conditions. Our findings indicate that how speakers employ different types of gestures (iconic vs beat) according to the addressee's needs and across different tasks. Speakers might prefer to use more iconic gestures with children than adults. Results are discussed according to audience design theory.
Citation Count: 1
Parental input during book reading and toddlers' elicited and spontaneous communicative interactions
(Elsevier Science Inc, 2022) Unlutabak, Burcu; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Yilmaz, Duygu; Kandemir, Songuel; Goksun, Tilbe
This study examined the relation between characteristics of parental input, particularly focusing on questions and pointing gestures directed to toddlers during book reading, and toddlers' elicited and spontaneous communicative interactions. A total of 30 Turkish speaking parents and their toddlers (18 girls, Mage = 18.79 SDage = 1.55) were observed during shared book reading. The communicative interactions were coded for parents' questions and pointing, and toddlers' elicited and spontaneous speech and pointing. The results showed that parents' label questions with pointing were positively associated with toddlers' elicited speech. Similarly, parents' label questions without pointing, and parents' description questions with pointing were positively associated with toddlers' elicited pointing. These findings highlight the importance of parental questions accompanied by pointing when eliciting toddler communicative interactions both in the form of speech and pointing, and provides insight for how to best communicate with toddlers during such interactions.
Citation Count: 1
Parental Use of Causal Language for Preterm and Full-Term Children: a Longitudinal Study
(Cambridge Univ Press, 2023) Ozdemir, Salih C.; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Goksun, Tilbe
Parents are often a good source of information, introducing children to how the world around them is described and explained in terms of cause-and-effect relations. Parents also vary in their speech, and these variations can predict children's later language skills. Being born preterm might be related to such parent-child interactions. The present longitudinal study investigated parental causal language use in Turkish, a language with particular causative morphology, across three time points when preterm and full-term children were 14-, 20-, and 26-months-old. In general, although preterm children heard fewer words overall, there were no differences between preterm and full-term groups in terms of the proportion of causal language input. Parental causal language input increased from 20 to 26 months, while the amount of overall verbal input remained the same. These findings suggest that neonatal status can influence the amount of overall parental talk, but not parental use of causal language.
Citation Count: 2
Relations Between L2 Proficiency and L1 Lexical Property Evaluations
(Frontiers Media Sa, 2022) Altin, Elif; Okur, Nurdem; Yalcin, Esra; Eracikbas, Asude Firdevs; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli
The present study investigates the relations between L2-English proficiency and L1-Turkish lexical property evaluations. We asked whether L2 proficiency affects lexical properties, including imageability and concreteness ratings of 600 Turkish words selected from the Word Frequency Dictionary of Written Turkish. Seventy-two participants (L1-Turkish - L2-English) provided ratings of concreteness and imageability for 600 words on a 7-point scale. In order to assess their L2 proficiency, we administered Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV (PPVT-IV). We divided categories into two subcategories as high and low for the frequency, concreteness, imageability, and age of acquisition (AoA). The relationship between these subcategories and imageability-concreteness was examined by mixed effects linear regression analyses. We found that L2 proficiency and imageability ratings were positively correlated and specifically, this positive association was evident for low-frequency words and later acquired words. Results are in line with the interaction of bilingual representation under the dual-coding theory which suggests that bilinguals develop an interconnected imaginal representation for two languages as opposed to separate verbal representations. As L2 proficiency increased, the imageability also increased. These findings have implications for literature investigating the relationship between L2 proficiency and linguistic outcomes. Additionally, findings point to the importance of considering the L2 proficiency of participants when lexical tasks that involve cue words or word lists are used.