How Does Bilingualism Impact Language Development in Babies?

In short, bilingualism helps with language development. Bilingualism impacts the stages of language development from pre-birth to 18 months in seemingly subtle, yet fascinating ways. Bilingual children are not linguistically delayed compared to monolingual children.

Language development is an incredible process that starts before a baby is born. As the number of bilingual families increases, many parents wonder how exposure to multiple languages can affect the crucial first months of development. Taking a closer look at the magic of the bilingual baby brain will help parents feel more prepared to choose the best approach for their families.

The term bilingualism usually brings to mind the skill of knowing two languages. However, whether a child learns those two languages at the same time (simultaneously), or one after the other (successively), plays an essential role in how their language development occurs. In this post, we will focus on infants from pre-birth through 18 months who are immersed in two languages simultaneously, as compared to monolingual infants of the same age.

Impact of Bilingualism Pre-birth

At around 30 weeks gestation, hearing mechanisms in a baby’s brain develop, meaning babies can listen to their mother as she speaks. Vowel sounds she utters are the strongest sounds the baby hears. Babies begin to distinguish these sounds and can demonstrate this after birth. A study of forty infants around 30 hours old revealed that the babies were more interested in sounds of a foreign language than the sounds of their mother’s native language that they had already learned to recognize.

These initial familiar sounds will differ depending on the language spoken during pregnancy. This means once a bilingual baby is born, they will be familiar with sounds they’ve heard their mother utter across both languages.

Impact of Bilingualism from 0-6 Months

If you compiled the sounds that exist in all spoken languages, you’d have about 800 sounds. At birth, we are all capable of distinguishing each of these sounds. As we develop, however, we lose this ability as we hone in on the sounds of our native languages. This means babies have a unique sensitivity that they naturally apply to learn the languages around them.

All babies at this stage are beginning to observe the sounds, and frequency of sounds that they hear. Unlike monolingual babies, bilingual babies are keeping track of two different sets of sounds.

Toward the end of this phase, consonant-vowel babbling becomes more common. The vowel sounds in the languages a baby consistently hears will begin to show up in their babbling. This shows they are already working toward communicating using the sounds they’re learning!

Impact of Bilingualism from 6-12 Months

Sound development is critical during ages 6-12 months. As babies get better at discriminating familiar sounds, their ability to distinguish sounds that do not exist in their native language or languages will decrease. Bilingual babies have a unique task in that they master the ability to switch between the two sets of sounds they are learning.

In a study conducted by the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences in Seattle, Washington, researchers scanned the brains of 11-month-old babies. They noticed that the babies had specialised in the sounds of the language spoken in their household. Bilingual babies in the study had specialised in the sounds of both of their languages by this stage. 

Toward the end of this phase is when the excitement of first words comes in. Studies show that first words happen around 11 to 12 months for both bilingual and monolingual babies, so bilingualism will not impact this crucial and exciting milestone.

Impact of Bilingualism from 12-18 Months

As first words and two-word phrases emerge, it becomes easier to notice the impact of bilingualism on a baby’s spoken language. Milestones continue to be parallel for both monolingual and bilingual babies. However, there are a few inconsequential side effects of bilingualism that you may notice at this point. 

As babies begin expressing themselves bilingually, they may initially mix the grammar rules of their two languages. Anyone who has attempted to learn a foreign language knows how easy it is to confuse grammar rules. This process is completely natural in child language development as well. 

Bilingual babies may also experience a brief silent period while they adjust to all the new information they are learning.  Focus on maintaining a consistent routine regarding the languages used at home and doing what is most natural for you as the parent. This will help your child ease out of this brief phase should it arise.

As you can see, bilingualism does not have the dramatic impact on development you may have thought. It does not cause linguistic or cognitive delays, and your baby is not confused by exposure to multiple languages. 

You should always bring concerns to a speech-language pathologist. However, you can rest assured that if bilingualism is a natural dynamic in your household, your baby’s brain has the built-in tools to adapt!

If you suspect your child has a speech delay, reaching out to your doctor and a speech therapist would be a good first step. With Babbly’s help, a trained speech therapist can evaluate your child’s current communication skills and help you make informed decisions about how you can support your little one’s overall development.

Sources:

1- The linguistic genius of babies | Patricia Kuhl, TED Conference

2- Ontario Speech & Language Program guidelines

3- Language experienced in utero affects vowel perception after birth: a two-country study, Acta Pædiatrica ISSN 0803-5253

4- ASHA Learning two languages