Are we the sum of our experiences? Understanding patterns of misspellings in the context of language experience in Singaporean English Chinese bilinguals

Abstract

Spelling errors convey a wealth of information. Analysing patterns of spelling errors can reveal challenges that spellers face when applying their metalinguistic knowledge. Apart from age, metalinguistic knowledge is also affected by language experience. However, few studies have examined the cross section between spelling errors and language experience. We recruited 53 Singaporean English Chinese bilingual adults and examined their pattern of misspellings for both English and Chinese languages. Their spelling error profiles were then examined alongside their language experience using Pearson’s product moment correlation. Results indicated that spelling error pattern in English corroborated previous findings, with orthographic errors occurring most frequently. Proportions of all three spelling error types in Chinese were comparable but contradicted that of existing research. None of the language experience variables correlated with the proportion of spelling error types in English. However, language use in oral/aural modalities as well as in work settings correlated with proportion of phonological spelling errors in Chinese. Overall, findings on English spelling aligned with extant literature and supported the idea of language use contexts being less influential for individuals in bilingual communities with a strong dominant language such as in Singapore. In contrast, greater language use in specific contexts and modalities is related to Chinese spelling proficiency. Future research can explore Chinese spelling errors and language use in greater detail, such as by comparing the specific linguistic features affected across spellers of different proficiencies and investigating the input versus output quantity in addition to the proportion of time spent using a particular language.