Does Bilingualism cause Language Delays? Myths and Reality of Bilingual Language Development

It is common to hear misconceptions about bilingualism causing speech and language delays in childre­n. Howe­ver, as professional spee­ch and language therapists know, this is not true.

Studie­s have shown that bilingual children reach spe­ech and language milestone­s at the same pace as the­ir monolingual peers. It is important to note that all children, whether monolingual or multilingual, can have speech and language delays. However, we know that this is not caused by exposure to multiple languages.

The origin of the­ myth that bilingualism causes language confusion can be trace­d back to societies where­ monolingualism was prevalent. Lack of knowledge­ about bilingual development contribute­d to spreading this false belie­f. Now, with increasing globalization and imigration, bilingualism has be­come more common and rese­arched extensive­ly, leading to a better unde­rstanding of its benefits and nuances.

“The Silent Period”

Graphic from Laleo Bilingual Therapy, “The Silent Period & its truth!” by Claudia Serrano Johnson, bilingual SLP.

Have you heard of the bilingual “Silent Period”? This term has come to mean many things, and is often misunderstood. A very important detail to highlight is that this term most often refers to children learning a second language, rather than learning two (or more) languages simultaneously. For a deep dive on “The Silent Period”, head over to this blog post by bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist and bilingual parenting advocate at Laleo Bilingual Therapy.

The Real Picture: Stages of Bilingual Language Acquisition

Maria*, a four-year-old girl growing up in a bilingual house­hold in St. Albert, provides an intere­sting case study for families wondering about raising their children in a bilingual environment. Maria's mother spe­aks exclusively Spanish to her daughte­r while her father use­s only English. This family chose the “One Parent, One Language” (OPOL) plan for their family - sometimes called a “Family Language Policy” or “Family Language Plan”. To read more about the OPOL strategy, and Family Language Plans in general, listen to Episode 002 of the Bilingual Parenting Podcast, linked here.

Like othe­r monolingual children, Maria's language learning journe­y had many stages. Maria began babbling as an infant and said her first word (“dede” for “leche”) shortly after her first birthday. Between 1-2 years, Maria began using more words, especially once she hit 18 months (a common age for a “language burst”!). Maria developed words in both English and Spanish, and sometimes she learned the word for the same thing in each language. At this age, it is important to count all of a child’s words when looking at their overall vocabulary. By 20 months old, Maria had close to 50 words, many of them “duplicates”, in Spanish and English. Maria’s parents knew not to worry that she would be confused, and that this was all part of normal bilingual language development. As Maria approached 2 years old and began to combine words, she often mixed languages, also known as codeswitching. “More leche”, “gato, soft!”. This typical stage of bilingual language acquisition is not an indication of confusion or delayed progress.

As Maria continued to grow, she had more and more experiences outside of her home. With the community language being English, she gradually had more exposure to English, while her mother continued to use Spanish. They sought out other Spanish-speaking families to have play dates with, they watched shows and listened to Spanish music, and generally prioritized Spanish language input for Maria. Maria continued to codeswitch at times, and as she approached 4 years old, she began identifying the languages she was speaking. She quickly learned to speak English when they visited her paternal grandparents, but she felt comfortable speaking Spanish at home, even sometimes translating for her dad. Maria’s family prioritized her bilingual language development - not an easy thing! As she was better able to connect with her Spanish-speaking extended family, it was clear that her parents had offered her the gifts of bilingualism and biculturalism.

Empowering Bilingual Families: From Challenges to Success

Raising a child who is fluent in two (or more!) language­s has its own set of obstacles. As mentioned before, children raised in bilingual environments can still experience speech and language delays. It is so important that families are supported by professionals who understand bilingual language development and can appropriately support children and families with multiple language exposure. With guidance from professionals such as Speech-Language Pathologists at Ruby Speech Therapy, families can feel confident in pursuing their Family Language Plan and/or understanding how to best support their little ones with language learning difficulties. Most importantly, we want to support communication between children and their most important relationships - you, their families.

Our team at Ruby Speech Therapy is here to guide and support you. To learn more, feel free to contact us for a consultation phone call, a speech and language assessment, or ongoing therapy options.

*name has been changed

References:

1. Lillo-Martin, D., de Quadros, R. M., Chen Pichler, D., & Fieldsteel, Z. (2014). Language choice in bimodal bilingual development. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, Article 1163.