The Study of verbal fluency in monolingual and bilingual adults

Document Type : Original article

Authors

1 1. MSc. Student of Speech Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

2 2. PhD candidate of speech therapy and Lecturer, Department of speech therapy, Tehran University of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.

3 3. MSc. Student of speech therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

4 4. PhD candidate of Biostatistics, Department of Epidemiology and Reproductive Health at Reproductive Epidemiology Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background and Aim: Bilingual populations are divided with respect to age of acquisition and proficiency on two languages. Verbal fluency tasks are sensitive to semantic abilities in normal development, aging and neurological disorders. So the performance of bilinguals and monolinguals is assessed by verbal fluency in lexical level.
Materials and Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was done over 30 Persian monolingual and 28 Persian-Kurdish bilingual students by Convenience Sampling. Semantic and letter fluency tasks were used. Subject was asked to name fruit and animal categories in semantic fluency and words that beginning with/f/, /a/, and /s/ letters for letter fluency in one minute. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 16 software.
Results: Semantic and letter fluency mean in Kurdish-Persian bilinguals in Kurdish language was significantly different from their Persian language (p˂0.001). While this mean was not significantly different in Persian language among monolinguals and bilinguals. Monolinguals in Persian language were better than bilinguals in Kurdish language in all verbal fluency tasks (p˂0.001).
Conclusion: No difference was observed on verbal fluency between bilinguals and monolinguals in Persian language. But, there was significant difference in native language between two groups that the Persian individuals were better than Kurdish individuals in their native language.
 

Keywords

References

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The Scientific Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine
Volume 4, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
July and August 2015
Pages 53-61

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History

  • Receive Date: 06 December 2014
  • Revise Date: 13 February 2015
  • Accept Date: 05 April 2015
  • First Publish Date: 22 June 2015

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