Bilingual Language Acquisition: Where Does the Difference Lie?

Studies of preverbal infants exposed to a bilingual environment have unveiled the existence of important similarities, but also significant differences in the way monolinguals-to-be and bilinguals-to-be solve the problem of language acquisition. In this paper, I review these studies and I argue that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human development 2011-01, Vol.53 (5), p.245-255
Main Author: Sebastian-Galles, Nuria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Babies
Bilingualism
Child development
Differences
Individualized Instruction
Infants
Language Acquisition
Language use
Monolingualism
Original Paper
Psychology
Research Design
Research methodology
Young Children
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Summary:Studies of preverbal infants exposed to a bilingual environment have unveiled the existence of important similarities, but also significant differences in the way monolinguals-to-be and bilinguals-to-be solve the problem of language acquisition. In this paper, I review these studies and I argue that some apparent bilingual failures are the consequence of experimental designs conceived to test monolingual infants. When properly analyzed, these data provide evidence for successful solutions to learning 2 languages and to become a competent adult bilingual speaker.
ISSN:0018-716X
1423-0054
DOI:10.1159/000321282