Multimodal language in bilingual and monolingual children: Gesture production and speech disfluency

Abstract Bilingual and monolingual children might have different styles of using multimodal language. This study investigates speech disfluency gesture production 5- 7-year-old Turkish (N = 61) Turkish–English bilingual 51). We examined monolinguals’ narratives bilinguals’ English narratives. Results indicated that bilinguals were more disfluent than monolinguals, particularly for silent filled (e.g., umm) pauses. Bilinguals used pauses repetitions cat cat) frequently in Turkish. Gesture use was comparable across language age groups, except iconic gestures. Monolinguals produced gestures bilinguals. Children's overall frequency predicted rates only Different types be orchestrated the system, contributing to narrative fluency. The provide insight into children's development communication strategies.