Inter-individual variation among young children growing up in a bidialectal community: The acquisition of dialect and standard Dutch vocabulary

This study focuses on the relationship between dialect use and the acquisition of standard Dutch vocabulary by young children in the Dutch province of Limburg. The results of a newly-developed dialect expressive vocabulary task show extensive inter-individual variation that does not support a dichotomous distinction between monolingual and bidialectal children. The children’s dialect vocabulary scores are neither positively nor negatively associated with their results on a standardized receptive Dutch vocabulary task. Thus, the acquisition of a dialect does not hinder or facilitate the acquisition of standard Dutch vocabulary.