Children in the first year are more alert than we give them credit for. This series will include facts and recommendations that will help parents and caregivers engage with babies in a confident and an accurate manner. The recommendations will be based on what is known about child development. The provided facts will assure parents and caregivers that they are on the right path to raising a successful person.
Fact: Babies that are 4 to 6 months old can distinguish speech from a familiar and a non-familiar language. They focus on the speaker’s face and lips to do so.
Recommendation 1: In a multicultural world, it is becoming increasingly important for children to learn more than one language. Even if parents do not know a second language, they could help their children continue to have the ability to distinguish sounds in two languages. Regularly exposing the child to nursery rhymes and short story readings from videos will help sustain this ability until a better option becomes available through a relative, community support, or child care. This is especially important for parents who emigrate to a country where the second language is the mainstream one.
Fact: Children who are exposed to two languages simultaneously learn to differentiate the two speech systems. It is not necessary for each parent to just stick to one language when communicating with the child. Research has not found that separating the source of languages is more beneficial. Bilingual children may take longer to learn the specifics of the two languages but they are processing all the sounds.
Recommendation 2: In bilingual families, it is important to provide exposure to both languages in sufficient amounts and in many contexts. Children might advance more in one language than another but with sufficient time and exposure, they will master both languages.
Fact: Sequential bilingualism is a term used when a second language is introduced some time after the first language. The rate in which children acquire the second language will depend on the context of the second language and the frequency of exposure. Children might go through a period of silence when receiving the language prior to expressing the new sounds.
Recommendation 3: When a second language is introduced, it is important to speak clearly to the child and to relate the language to concrete objects and explicit behaviours. The child might respond to a request in the second language through pointing or taking an action. This will show that the child understood the message. Expect the child to delay speaking the second language.
This series focus on children’s development in the first year; however, it is worth noting that the issues related to second language learning seem to be similar regardless of age. With sequential bilingualism, there is agreement that reception will precede expression in the second language.
Note: Click to access Part 1 or Part 3.
References:
Berk, L. (2013). Child development (9th ed.). Pearson.
Hoff, E. (2104). Language development (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.
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Bilingual children speak two languages. This can be at home with each parent being a native speaker of a language or can be part of a child’s education. Children develop the skill of code switching according to the situation. To do so successfully, children need to be aware of the difference between the two languages and where words belong.
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