Studies find benefits, not harm, in early bilingualism

Research does not support fears that learning two languages early harms children, and studies have found potential cognitive and social benefits, ERR’s Sofia Lutter writes in a language column.

Children, teenagers and adults can all learn languages, but they tend to do so in different ways. Young children often pick up languages through play, conversation and everyday activities. Older learners make more use of deliberate study and can draw on what they already know, sometimes learning new words or grammar rules more quickly.

Early childhood may make it easier to acquire pronunciation and subtle differences in how languages sound. Starting young can help someone develop more natural pronunciation, but learning later does not rule out speaking without an accent. It may simply take more time and effort, Lutter writes.

Bilingual children may become more aware of how language works, including how words are made up of sounds and how the same idea can be expressed in different ways. This awareness may support learning to read and write. Studies have also linked bilingualism with more flexible thinking, better attention and greater ability to adapt communication to the person being addressed.

Development is not always straightforward. A child may have a smaller vocabulary in one language, take longer to learn some grammatical forms or mix languages. Lutter says these can be normal parts of development, rather than signs that something is wrong.

More important than whether a child starts early or late is having enough opportunities to hear, use and experience the languages in real communication, she writes.