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The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relations between early bilingualism and phonological awareness in a sample of 75 Turkish–Dutch bilingual kindergarten children living in The Netherlands. In a longitudinal design, the children's first (L1) and second (L2) language abilities were measured at the beginning and end of kindergarten. At the end of kindergarten, the children's metalinguistic skills within the domain of phonological awareness were also assessed. Linear structural equation modeling was used to examine the types of intralingual (language-specific) and interlingual (language-transfer) processes over time. In addition, just how the patterns of bilingual development related to the children's later phonological awareness was examined. Turkish was found to be the dominant language on both measurement occasions. In addition to the expected longitudinal relations, there was evidence for transfer from L1 to L2. Two interrelated phonological factors emerged: phonotactic awareness and phonemic awareness. Variation in the two types of children's phonological awareness was predicted by both L1 and L2 abilities.
