Resumen de Early requestive development in consecutive third language learning

María Pilar Safont Jordà

• While research on early simultaneous bilingual acquisition is well-documented, studies on multiple language acquisition in early childhood are still needed. Existing studies have mainly focused on early simultaneous acquisition of three or more languages). Some attention has already been paid to early pragmatic differentiation and cross-linguistic influence. Nevertheless, the effects of the successive acquisition of two or more languages in early childhood are still under-researched. The main aim of the present study deals with describing pragmatic development of a consecutive bilingual child learning English as a third language. For this purpose, we have particularly focused on the production of Catalan (L1), Spanish (L2) and English (L3) requests through a longitudinal analysis of a one-year period including ages 2.6–3.6. Data were obtained from diary notes and regular recordings of mother–child interaction at home and during short car trips. Results both coincide but also differ from previous research on interlanguage and L1 pragmatics, thus leading to the peculiarities of the young child third language pragmatics.