Acquiring more than one language

Bilingual children are sometimes referred to us for speech and language assessment because they are not learning one or more of their languages with the expected speed and their academic skills are lagging behind those of their monolingual English-speaking classmates. As Speech and Language Therapists we have to decide whether these students have a language-learning disability or are merely manifesting the normal process of acquiring a second language. A child with a genuine speech and language delay/disorder usually has problems in both languages.

Common second-language acquisition phenomenon are:

Silent period

When children are first exposed to a second language, frequently they focus on listening and comprehension. These children are often very quiet, speaking little as they focus on understanding the new language. The younger the child, the longer the silent period tends to last. Older children may remain in the silent period for a few weeks or months, whereas preschoolers may be relatively silent for a year or more.

Interference or transfer from the first language to English 

The child may make an English error due to the direct influence of the first language. E.g., in Spanish, "esta casa es mas grande" means "this house is bigger." However, a literal translation would be "this house is more bigger." A Spanish-speaking child saying this would be manifesting transfer from Spanish to English.

Code switching

The child may change languages over phrases or sentences, e.g., a French speaker might say, "That’s a petite [small] butterfly”."

Some children who are learning a second language undergo the phenomenon of language loss. As they learn English, they lose skills and fluency in their first language if it is not reinforced and maintained. This can be cognitively and linguistically very detrimental to children's learning and to their family lives (especially if the parents speak only the first language and no English). Ideally, children should learn English while their first language and culture are maintained and reinforced.

Benefits of Bilingualism

Many research studies cite the cognitive-linguistic benefits of being a fluent bilingual speaker. Experts have found that children who are fluent bilinguals actually outperform monolingual speakers on tests of metalinguistic skill.

The two basic rules to help your child acquire two or more languages more easily

One person – one language

It is easiest for children if the languages are strictly separated (situation, place, person). The parents should not switch between languages!

Start early

Most researchers agree that a child who is exposed simultaneously to two languages at an early age will naturally learn to use both languages.