TY - JOUR
T1 - Learning to read bilingually modulates the manifestations of dyslexia in adults
AU - Lallier, Marie
AU - Thierry, Guillaume
AU - Barr, Polly
AU - Carreiras, Manuel
AU - Tainturier, Marie Josephe
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - According to the Grain Size Accommodation hypothesis (Lallier & Carreiras, 2017), learning to read in two languages differing in orthographic consistency leads to a cross-linguistic modulation of reading and spelling processes. Here, we test the prediction that bilingualism may influence the manifestations of dyslexia. We compared the deficits of English monolingual and early Welsh–English bilingual dyslexic adults on reading and spelling irregular English words and English-like pseudowords. As predicted, monolinguals were relatively more impaired in reading pseudowords than irregular words, whereas the opposite was true for bilinguals. Moreover, monolinguals showed stronger sublexical processing deficits than bilinguals and were poorer spellers overall. This study shows that early bilingual reading experience has long-lasting effects on the manifestations of dyslexia in adulthood. It demonstrates that learning to read in a consistent language like Welsh in addition to English gives bilingual dyslexic adults an advantage in English literacy tasks strongly relying on phonological processing.
AB - According to the Grain Size Accommodation hypothesis (Lallier & Carreiras, 2017), learning to read in two languages differing in orthographic consistency leads to a cross-linguistic modulation of reading and spelling processes. Here, we test the prediction that bilingualism may influence the manifestations of dyslexia. We compared the deficits of English monolingual and early Welsh–English bilingual dyslexic adults on reading and spelling irregular English words and English-like pseudowords. As predicted, monolinguals were relatively more impaired in reading pseudowords than irregular words, whereas the opposite was true for bilinguals. Moreover, monolinguals showed stronger sublexical processing deficits than bilinguals and were poorer spellers overall. This study shows that early bilingual reading experience has long-lasting effects on the manifestations of dyslexia in adulthood. It demonstrates that learning to read in a consistent language like Welsh in addition to English gives bilingual dyslexic adults an advantage in English literacy tasks strongly relying on phonological processing.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85044443664&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10888438.2018.1447942
DO - 10.1080/10888438.2018.1447942
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85044443664
SN - 1088-8438
VL - 22
SP - 335
EP - 349
JO - Scientific Studies of Reading
JF - Scientific Studies of Reading
IS - 4
ER -