Does code‐switching influence novel word learning?

Code‐switching occurs regularly in the input to bilingual children. Yet, the effect of code‐switched input on language development is unclear. To test whether word learning would be affected by code‐switching, Spanish–English bilingual children (N = 45, 19 boys, MeanAge = 5.05 years; ethnicity: 37 Hispanic/Latino, six Non‐Hispanic/Latino, two unreported) were taught English‐like novel words in two conditions. In the English‐only condition, definitions for novel words were provided entirely in English. In the code‐switch condition, definitions for novel words were provided in English and Spanish, incorporating code‐switches. Children required fewer exposures to retain novel words in the code‐switch than the English‐only condition and this effect was not moderated by children's language ability or exposure to code‐switching, suggesting that code‐switched input does not pose word‐learning risks to bilingual children, including children with lower levels of language ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]