Child- and Adult-Centered Toy Play Across Languages in Thai–English Bilingual Mother–Child Interactions

Abstract

Play is a universal activity. Yet there are cultural and linguistic differences in how families engage in adult–child play. In the present study, Thai–English bilingual mother–child dyads completed a toy play task in both languages. The results revealed cross-linguistic differences in bilingual mothers’ and children’s conversation styles. When speaking Thai, the nature of bilinguals’ dyadic play was more adult-centered, characterized by the use of directives by the mothers and use of repetitions by the children, which was congruent with parent–child interpersonal dynamics in high-power-distance Asian cultures. When speaking English, the play session was more child-centered, evidenced by children’s use of directives and encouragements, which was congruent with behavioral norms in low-power-distance Western cultures. Bilingual mothers and children exhibited positive associations in their narrative styles during both the Thai and English sessions. Additionally, the preliminary results provided evidence that cross-linguistic differences in mother–child speech patterns may be moderated by child gender. These findings suggest that the communicative and interactional patterns that bilingual caregivers modeled for bilingual children varied across languages and that preschoolers aligned their behaviors with those exemplified by their mothers. We conclude that bilingualism influences early social communication, with theoretical and applied implications for researchers, educators, and clinicians.