The idea that two languages causes language delays in children has been a long-standing myth in the United States. However, research has dispelled this myth. Children are able to learn two languages at the same pace as other children who are learning only one language.
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).
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.
FAQ: At What Age Do Bilingual Babies Talk? Like monolingual babies, typically developing bilingual babies will babble around 6 months, say their first words around 12 months, have a minimum of 15 words in their vocabulary by 18 months, and combine words together around 24 months.
The Disadvantages:
Children raised bilingually run the risk of not mastering either language, and subsequently having difficulties in successful completion of a formal education.
It is important to remember that learning two languages as a child does not in any way result in confusion or a speech or language delay. This idea that bilingualism causes delayed communication skills in children is a long-running myth in North America.
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.
Speech/Language Milestones
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.
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).
Actually young dual-language learners achieve the same language milestones as monolingual children when it comes to babbling, saying their first word, understanding familiar words, combining words (“Mama, up!”), and reaching a 50-word vocabulary.
In bilingual environments, the language that caregivers speak to their infant can sometimes differ from the language they use with others. For example, a bilingual infant might hear two languages in equal proportions in speech directed towards her, but hear only one of the languages in overheard speech.
2–3 years: Toddlers start to string phrases together and speak coherently. They can usually refer to most things around them. 3–4 years: They can describe activities, use more complex sentences, and speak more fluently. 4–5 years: They use detailed sentences, tell stories, and can communicate easily with others.
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.
Some people may mistakenly believe that raising a child in a bilingual household (meaning they speak more than one language) puts them at risk for language delays or a “silent period” when they might not speak at all. Language delays can still occur in bilingual children, but bilingualism itself is not the cause.
According to Doyle, bilingual children should hit the same speech milestones as children who only speak one language. You should notice if your child is cooing, babbling or making gestures by the time he or she reaches the 12-month mark. Between 9 -15 months, your child should begin to speak.
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
When bilingual children are approximately 18 months old, they should be understood by others approximately 25% of the time. Additionally, they should have a vocabulary ranging from 20 to 50 words between all of the languages they speak.
Early bilinguals will mostly have acquired their second language naturally, in particular when we are speaking about a pre-school child. (cf. Hofmann 1997: 34) The term late bilingualism refers to people who have learned their second language during adulthood or in other words after the age of puberty.
5 – Native / Bilingual Proficiency
Someone at this language proficiency level was either raised speaking the language as their native tongue or has been speaking it so long that they are completely fluent. They have little or no accent.
There are many potential causes of expressive language delay in toddlers. Some children develop more slowly than others and may eventually catch up. Others may have underlying medical or developmental issues that impact their communication ability.
A 2 year old not talking is a reason to seek advice from a speech pathologist or a health professional. There is a lot of variation and reason for delayed toddler talking, however, if they are saying NO words at 2, it is a definite red flag for them being at risk of development and learning delays.
Researchers have yet to agree upon an explanation for this specific delay. They have determined, though, that Late Talkers are more likely to have a family history of early language delay, to be male, and to have been born at less than 85% of their optimal birth weight or at less than 37 weeks gestation [1].
The effects of bilingualism on executive control circuits
For example, when performing non-linguistic switching tasks, early bilinguals recruit larger proportions of the left hemisphere brain areas related to language control, such as the left striatum and the left inferior frontal lobe, than do monolinguals82.
Changes in neurological processing and structure
Bilingual people show increased activation in the brain region associated with cognitive skills like attention and inhibition.
Bilinguals often have a decreased vocabulary in both languages due to this. Especially if you aren't in constant contact with your first (or second) language, your vocabulary can suffer.