Two studies investigated: (1) aspects of the language of native-English-speaking (ES) and non-native-English-speaking (NES) parents of children learning English and (2) the demands made on the listening of young children learning English from native-speaking parents and non-native-speaking parents. Information in the parent study was drawn from previous research. Subjects in the second study were selected 5- and 6-year-old children matched for sex, school achievement, and parent language background. Results of the first study indicate that 66% of the clauses uttered by NES parents were faulty compared with 11% of those uttered by ES parents, and NES parents made more errors in their repairs. In the second study, a linguistic awareness test was administered to 40 children. The ES-parent children performed as well as or better than the NES-parent children on all awareness measures. It is concluded from the two studies that NES parents impose a very heavy listening burden on their children and are not as hearer-oriented as the ES parents, suggesting that bilingualism does not necessarily enhance language awareness. (MSE)