Language Competence in Italian Heritage Speakers: The Contribution of Clitic Pronouns and Nonword Repetition

The linguistic profile of bilingual children is known to show areas overlap with that affected by Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), creating a need differentiate the profiles and provide clinicians tools evaluate speakers in both their languages. Data from typical adult bilinguals picture language speaker at end development. present work explores how clitic production nonword repetition (NWR) behave mature systems situations bilingualism, aiming initial data as benchmark on Italian non-dominant language. Heritage (HSs) were confronted immigrants (AIs) who moved Italy an English-speaking country adulthood. Clitic pronouns found be vulnerable HSs, produced approximately 35% target clitics against 80% Ais, suggesting may not reliable structures test competence heritage Italian. On other hand, HSs >97% correct NWR, this paradigm should explored possible marker these populations.