#1. Bilingual children may say their first words slightly later than monolingual children, but still within the normal age range (between 8-15 months) (11). And when bilingual children start to produce short sentences, they develop grammar along the same patterns and timelines as children learning one language (5).
In short, bilingualism does not cause speech or language delays. These beliefs are often based on misconceptions rather than scientific research and facts.
Most multilingual children use their first words by the time they are 1 year old. By age 2, most multilingual children use two-word phrases. Phrases like “my ball” or “more juice” can be expressed in one or more languages.
Some children raised bilingual do take a little longer to start talking than those raised in monolingual households. The delay is temporary, however, and according to experts, it's not a general rule.
children can more easily travel and work in different countries and cultures when they grow up. children understand and appreciate different cultures. children have increased empathy for other ways of understanding the world.
The Disadvantages:
Children raised bilingually run the risk of not mastering either language, and subsequently having difficulties in successful completion of a formal education.
Summary: Children who grow up in a bilingual household are quicker at shifting their attention and faster at detecting visual changes than adults who learned a second language later in life.
Children learning two languages simultaneously go through the same developmental stages as children learning one language. While bilingual children may start talking slightly later than monolingual children, they still begin talking within the normal range (11).
Learning two languages does not cause a child to have a language delay. Therefore, speaking only one language does not “cure” a late talker either. When my son started talking, most of his language was in English. He understood Spanish but wasn't speaking it yet.
Learning two languages together does NOT cause speech or language delay. Simultaneous learners pick up language skills the same way and at the same pace as monolingual children do. They reach the same speech and language milestones at the same ages.
The most recent major study on language learning and age was conducted by researchers at Harvard and MIT. It concluded that starting to learn a new language before age 10 will give a learner the best chance of achieving proficiency similar to that of a native speaker. Why before 10 years old?
Late bilingualism – refers to bilingualism when the second language is learned after the age of 6 or 7; especially when it is learned in adolescence or adulthood. Late bilingualism is a consecutive bilingualism which occurs after the acquisition of the first language (after the childhood language development period).
Children with the earliest bilingual AoA (ages birth–3, or children coming from homes that systematically speak two languages from birth to before age 3) are far less frequent than children who begin their first systematic exposure to two languages between the ages of 4–6 (ages when children leave their monolingual ...
The Second Year
At approximately 24 months, a bilingual child should be using two-word phrases (e.g. "dada work") and be understood by others approximately 50-75% of the time. A vocabulary ranging from 200-300 words (between all languages) is also expected.
There are some people who believe that when a child is raised in a bilingual household, they are at an increased risk of developing a speech delay or 'silent period' where they may not speak at all. While speech and language delays can occur in children who are bilingual, bilingualism itself is never the cause.
Your child may have a speech delay if they aren't able to do these things: Say simple words (such as “mama” or “dada”) either clearly or unclearly by 12 to 15 months of age. Understand simple words (such as “no” or “stop”) by 18 months of age. Talk in short sentences by 3 years of age.
Boys tend to develop language skills a little later than girls, but in general, kids may be labeled "late-talking children" if they speak less than 10 words by the age of 18 to 20 months, or fewer than 50 words by 21 to 30 months of age.
Professionals tend to diagnose late talkers by assessing vocabulary size and word combinations. Children who produce fewer than 50 words and do not produce simple two-word phrases by 24 months of age are considered late talkers.
While common causes of the condition include oral-motor problems (difficulty controlling speech muscles), significant ear wax buildup, chronic ear infections, or fluid behind the ear drums, signs of speech delay are varied.
From years of research, we know that speaking to children in multiple languages does not contribute to language delays and is good for their developing brains! There are many pervasive myths and misunderstandings about multilingualism and raising children in multilingual homes.
A good rule of thumb is that you can expect to be conversational in a language within 6-12 months of dedicated study and practice. This means that you'll be able to hold basic conversations and understand most of what is being said. To reach fluency, you'll likely need to dedicate at least 2-3 years to the language.
[5] Linguists believe that because they're exposed to multiple languages at a young age, they're better equipped to pick up on word structure. This can help bilingual students develop phonological awareness skills, an essential pre-reading ability, faster than their peers.
One of the biggest concerns that parents have about raising children in a bilingual household is that it will cause confusion. But is there any scientific evidence that young bilinguals are confused? The first question to ask is what confusion would look like.
In contrast, learning a second language too early can lead to a loss of the native language and the inadequate mastery of native language makes it more difficult to learn a foreign language. Academic burden and external factor such as the lack of proper education can hinder the second- language-process as well.