Exploring Vocabulary Growth in African American English–Speaking Toddlers: Bridging Linguistic and Cultural Perspectives

Purpose: This study examined vocabulary growth in low-income African American English (AAE)–speaking toddlers aged 30 and 42 months. Specifically, we investigated whether traditional child-level language production, discourse measures, or maternal language input at Time 1 predicted receptive vocabulary growth at Time 2. Method: Language samples were collected from 101 African American toddlers during home-based play interactions with their caregivers at 30 and 42 months. Child and maternal language measures were derived from transcripts using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts, and receptive vocabulary was assessed at both time points using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Revised. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses examined the predictive value of child- and caregiver-level language variables, including interactions with gender. Results: Children demonstrated substantial vocabulary growth from 30 to 42 months. Caregivers demonstrated responsive, developmentally appropriate language and frequent spontaneous questioning. However, neither traditional syntax measures (mean length of utterance MLU) nor culturally relevant measures of discourse (caregivers' use of spontaneous questions to direct discourse and children's responses to questions) significantly predicted vocabulary growth. A marginal trend suggested that the relation between maternal MLU and child vocabulary growth may differ by gender. Conclusions: Although neither syntax nor discourse measures significantly predicted vocabulary, these findings highlight the importance of continuing to examine culturally embedded interaction patterns in AAE-speaking families. The results suggest that broad language measures may obscure variability in the discourse strategies caregivers use to guide and engage children's language and that more fine-grained approaches may be needed to capture how language input supports vocabulary growth across gender and context. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31894576