Can children learn to be bilingual (two languages)?
Yes children can learn to be bilingual without any costs to the development of early milestones. There are two types of bilinguals that I will touch on, the first one is a simultaneous bilingual and the second is a second language learner. A child who starts to learn both languages from birth or before age 3 is called a simultaneous bilingual. These children are learning both languages at the same time. Children start to pick up the foundations of a language system soon after birth. According to the Paradis, Genesse, and Crago (2011), children have two separate language systems that interact. When children start to use translation equivilents this is considered evidence for two vocabularies and therefore two language systems. A translation equivilent occurs when a child learns a word in one language and does not learn the translation of that word into their other language because this concept is already labeled. For example a child who knows the word “zapatos,” would not also necessarily learn the word “shoes.”
Yes children can learn to be bilingual without any costs to the development of early milestones. There are two types of bilinguals that I will touch on, the first one is a simultaneous bilingual and the second is a second language learner. A child who starts to learn both languages from birth or before age 3 is called a simultaneous bilingual. These children are learning both languages at the same time. Children start to pick up the foundations of a language system soon after birth. According to the Paradis, Genesse, and Crago (2011), children have two separate language systems that interact. When children start to use translation equivilents this is considered evidence for two vocabularies and therefore two language systems. A translation equivilent occurs when a child learns a word in one language and does not learn the translation of that word into their other language because this concept is already labeled. For example a child who knows the word “zapatos,” would not also necessarily learn the word “shoes.”
Things to expect when a child is learning two languages:
- The child appears to be delayed in the development of one language, which can simply be due to less exposure to that language compared to the other one. There will always be a “dominant” language. This means that your child will be a little more proficient in one of the two languages simply because of the amount of exposure that they have had to that dominant language over the other language.
- The child might use words from both languages in the same sentence as well as mixing grammar rules. This is called code mixing. When children do this they are either being resourceful, adhering to social norms in the community, reflecting their cultural identity, or for a pragmatic effect (emphasizing what they are trying to say). This code mixing is a normal part of their development.
The key to your child being fully billingual is to give them consistent, continuous, and rich exposure to their languages on a regular basis.
Do older children just “soak up” a new language?
No, there is considerable research evidence according to the book, Dual Language Development and Disorder, showing this popular belief to be false. A child who starts to learn another language after their first language has already been established is called a second language learner. It is important for parents and professionals working with a second language learner to be aware of how long it can really take to acquire native-like competence in a second language. In the book, Dual Language Development and Disorders, Patton Tabors did extensive research on the stages that a child goes through upon their first exposure to the second language. Children will go through 4 stages:
1. home language use. The child will use their home language in the second language setting even though no else is using it. This period is relatively short lived.
2. the non-verbal period. In this stage, the child does not speak, but activley engages in accumulating receptive knowledge in the second language. This period lasts a few weeks to a few months.
3. the formulaic language. This is when the child speaks in short imitative utterances in the second language.
4. productive language stage. This occurs when children construct sentences that are productive. This stage is usually achieved between the end of the first semester and end of the school year.
Children usually take about 3 -5 years to become similar to their native speaker peers in oral langauge proficiency. However, there can be a lot of variation as to how slowly or quickly a child becomes profiecient in their second language. According to Paradis, Genesse, and Crago in book, Dual Language Development and Disorders, there are many different factors that can be attributed to this, such as personality/social style, language aptitude, age of acquisition, structure of the first language learned, and quantity and quality of the second language input and exposure. It is important for both psychocosial and cognitive/educational reasons, that children maintain the proficiency of their first language. Therefore it is vital that you as a parent give your child as much support as possible to continue the learning of their first language. Continuing to learn the first language does not take away from the success of learning the second language. In terms of literacy a child’s experience with early literacy from their first language can help to facilitate their acquisition of the second language while supporting their maintenance of the first.
Again, the key is that they need consistent exposure to both languages for full dual language development. For information regarding dialect difference click here.
References
Paradis, J., Genesse, F., & Crago, M.B. (2011). Dual language development & disorders: A handbook on bilingualism & second language learning 2nd edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brooks Publishing Co.
