How do bilingual/multilingual children develop language in the first years of life?
And when should parents be concerned and when should they simply trust the process?
Research shows that bilingual/multilingual language development follows the same fundamental development path as monolingual development, while also being shaped by the child’s linguistic environment, quality and quantity of input, emotional experiences linked to the use of the languages, and opportunities for meaningful interaction. As linguist Ludovica Serratrice explains, becoming bilingual involves a complex interaction between children’s natural language-learning abilities and the social, cultural and linguistic environments in which they grow up.
“Becoming bilingual, whether from birth of soon after, or subsequently in early childhood prior to schooling, entails a complex interaction between what children bring to the learning task, that is, among others, speech segmentation skills, speed of processing, and the linguistic and cultural environments in which they grow up” (Serratrice, 2019)
This infographic presents 10 general stages commonly observed in simultaneous bilingual/multilingual children, i.e. children exposed to two or more languages from birth or early childhood before formal schooling.
Quantity and quality of language input are strong predictors of children’s early lexical skills, and these are closely related with emerging grammatical skills.
Important to remember:
- Bi/multilingual children may distribute their vocabulary across languages.
- Development is rarely perfectly balanced in all languages.
- The amount, quality and emotional richness of language exposure matter greatly.
- The social value and prestige of a language can influence language maintenance and use.
Most importantly: bi/multilingual development is not a race. Children develop at different rhythms and variation is normal.
This infographic is therefore intended as a guideline, not as a diagnostic tool.
Observe your child’s communication with curiosity rather than anxiety. Celebrate the small milestones: the first babbling, first words, first jokes, first stories in every language your child uses. If you are unsure whether your bi/multilingual child’s language development is progressing typically, early professional guidance can be very valuable.
As a linguist and specialist in multilingual language development, I support families in distinguishing between normal multilingual development and signs that may require additional assessment or support. When needed, I also recommend collaboration with speech and language therapists, audiologists, psychologists or other professionals.
Don’t hesitate to book a consultation with me:
Further reading:
De Houwer, A. (2009). Bilingual First Language Acquisition. Multlingual Matters.
Serratrice, L. (2018). Becoming Bilingual in Early Childhood, in A. De Houwer and L. Ortega, The Cambridge Handbook of Bilingualism, CUP, 15-35.
Kohnert, K. (2010). Bilingual children with primary language impairment: issues, evidence, & implications for clinical actions. Journal of Communication Disorders 43: 456-473.
