IMPACT OF READING ALOUD ON LANGUAGE ACQUISITION OF MULTILINGUAL CHILDREN

Objective Language acquisition accounts for comprehension, interpretation, and expression of all languages in the child's repertoire. An experimental study consisting of multilingual children between 3:6 and 4:2 demonstrated the impact of reading aloud on language acquisition of L3 in the first six years of life. Children in the study spoke Pushto as first language (L1), Urdu as second language (L2). English was introduced to them as third language (L3), on joining a local school. The proficiency and correlation between the acquisition of L3 via reading out loud and its impact over a period of time on linguistic skills to be assessed, and to obtain data for the effectiveness of the activity to enhance language acquisition of an individual exposed to multiple languages. Method Two experimental groups consisting of three children each were instructed by two speech-language therapists and one group was excluded of targeted stimulus. A monthly assessment was completed for the six month duration of the study to determine change in receptive and expressive language skills in L3. Conclusion All children showed an average increase of 16 vocabulary words in L3. Moreover, study revealed an increase in structure and complexity of utterances. The study revealed a strong correlation between linguistic exposure through reading aloud to children and their overall language development. The study reflects that multilingualism enhances overall language and speech development and simultaneously aids in literacy skills.