Exploring the Language Attitudes of Dual-Language Latine Preschoolers

This study examined the language attitudes of 60 Latine DLL preschoolers at the beginning and end of the school year. At each time point, a matched guise paradigm was used to elicit language attitudes, whereby children listened to speech samples from two puppets, one speaking Spanish and one speaking English, and were then asked a series of questions about the puppets. Results showed that children held language attitudes favoring English over Spanish, with the majority of children reporting that the English-speaking puppet was smarter, and that they liked the English-speaking puppet better than the Spanish-speaking puppet. Results suggest that language attitudes favoring the dominant language in society emerge earlier than previously thought, aligning with work about stereotype formation regarding other facets of identity, and reflecting the broader sociolinguistic context of Spanish and English status in the United States.