Language affects endorsement of misconceptions about bilingualism

• Autores: Raiane Borges, Fiona Lyddy
• Localización: International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, ISSN 1367-0050, Vol. 27, Nº. 2, 2024, págs. 230-239
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Bilingualism is associated with a number of false beliefs, myths and misconceptions, which carry implications for bilingual education and policymaking. While the language used, often in the media, to express such misconceptions may have become more subtle, a negative bias remains and is arguably more difficult to detect and defend against. The current study examined the endorsement of common misconceptions by bilingual and monolingual participants as a function of the phrasing used to construct the misconception statements. Participants (N = 103; 47% bilingual) completed an online survey comprising common misconceptions about bilingualism as well as filler items, rating their agreement with the statements using a 7-point Likert-type scale. The phrasing of the misconceptions was varied such that participants read either a strongly worded or weakly worded version of the statements. The results showed that participants gave higher ratings of the statements in the weakly worded condition. While overall the average endorsement of the misconceptions was low, 82% of participants agreed with at least one misconception and 29% agreed with half the statements or more. There was no significant difference between monolinguals’ and bilinguals’ ratings. The findings suggest that misconceptions about bilingualism remain prevalent and are readily detectable when worded ambiguously.