Learning “jump,” “run”, and then “jump and run: a comparison of monolingual and multilingual Australian English-speaking children’s verbs and word combining on the OZI-SF

This study compared the performance of monolingual and multilingual Australian English-speaking children on the OZI-SF — an authorised short-form MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory for Australia. The focus was on two established clinical markers of early communication development: verbs (number and type) and word combinations. Caregivers of children (N = 359) aged 18.0 to 30.9 months completed the OZI-SF. Total concept scores (TCS) were calculated, giving credit for items known in English and/or any language. Regression analyses focused on two useful markers of communication development — verb sub-scores and reports of word combining — comparing monolinguals and multilinguals, controlling for age, sex, and caregiver education level. Results showed similar performance between the groups for verb number, verb type, and the use of word combinations. Expected effects of age and sex were observed, but language background and caregiver education did not significantly predict verbs or word combining. Findings support the utility of the OZI-SF as a screening or surveillance tool for describing verb profile and word combinations in both monolingual and multilingual populations.