Facts and Myths about Bilingualism in young children

MYTH 1: TEACHING YOUR CHILD TWO LANGUAGES CAN CAUSE THEM TO HAVE A LANGUAGE DELAY. FACT… Research has found that learning two languages does not negatively affect language development. Bilingualism may enhance language development! If a bilingual child is displaying delays in reaching language milestones across both languages, he/she may have a language disorder and should be assessed by a speech-language therapist.

MYTH 2: A CHILD WHO MIXES TWO LANGUAGES IS CONFUSED AND HAVING TROUBLE BECOMING BILINGUAL.

Fact…When a person uses words from two different languages in the same sentence it is called “code-switching”. This is a natural part of bilingualism and a common phenomenon in second language acquisition.

Code-switching may be used to express emotion, emphasize something, or avoid communication breakdown when a word is known in one language but not in the other language.

MYTH 3: IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE, YOU SHOULD STOP SPEAKING YOUR HOME LANGUAGE.

FACT… The key to helping your child learn another language is exposure. There are many ways for a child to learn more than one language. Some children are exposed to two languages from birth and learn to speak and understand more than one language simultaneously. Other children learn one language first, and then the second language at a later stage – this is referred to as sequential bilingualism. For children who are learning a second language, having a strong foundation in their first language will make it easier to acquire a second language. So talk to your child in the language you feel most comfortable in so that you can provide rich vocabulary and accurate grammar.