Does bilingualism delay language development in children?

No, bilingualism does not cause language delay. Children exposed to two or more languages develop their language at the same general pace, with the same individual variability, as children who learn only one.

This is one of the most solidly established findings in bilingual language development, yet one of the most difficult to accept, both in staff rooms and waiting rooms.

Why is it thought that bilingualism can delay language?

The idea often stems from an improperly framed comparison. A bilingual child's vocabulary is measured in only one of their two languages, compared to that of a monolingual child, and a delay is concluded.

The problem is the measurement tool, not the child.

A bilingual child distributes their vocabulary across two languages. When counted in only one language, their vocabulary may appear smaller. When counted in both languages together, their total conceptual vocabulary often matches and exceeds that of a monolingual child.

It is not a delay. It is a different distribution of the same amount of learning.

What does research say about bilingualism and language development?

Several findings are consistently reported in the literature:

• Babies have an innate ability to learn more than one language.
• The language development of bilingual children follows the same general pace as that of monolingual children, with the same variability among individuals.
• A difficulty observed only in the school language, in a child who has recently learned it, is not sufficient to conclude a disorder.
• Maintaining the home language does not hinder the learning of the language of schooling (Paradis, Genesee, and Crago, 2021; Cummins, 2000).

This last point is worth repeating, because it goes against advice still often given to families: stop speaking the home language to accelerate the learning of French or English.

Research shows the opposite. The two languages are not in competition, and a rich home language provides a foundation upon which the new language can build.

What is the difference between social language and academic language?

Part of the confusion comes from comparing two types of language with a single rule.

• Social and conversational language, which allows for play, socializing, and following a routine, develops in 2 to 5 years.
• Academic language, which allows for explaining, justifying, making inferences, and summarizing, takes 7 to 10 years (Cummins, 1979; Hakuta, Butler, and Witt, 2000).
• A child who is perfectly comfortable in the playground after a year may therefore seem "delayed" as soon as they are asked to summarize a science text.
• This is not necessarily a language delay. It may be an expected discrepancy between two skills that do not develop at the same pace.

What behaviors are normal in a bilingual child?

The linguistic profile of a bilingual child is always more complex than a single label. Certain elements can vary naturally and do not, in themselves, signal anything concerning:

• a quieter period when a new language is introduced;
• a still imprecise vocabulary in the most recent language;
• mixing languages within the same sentence;
• a dominant language that changes depending on the context: play, home, school, or emotions.

What deserves closer attention is rather the persistence of difficulties in all of the child's languages, including the home language, especially when observed by both the school and the family.

What to do when a bilingual child seems to have a language delay?

For a family, the first benchmark is simple: continue to speak the language in which exchanges are richest and most natural, no matter which one. The quality of interactions matters more than the choice of a single language.

For the school, it is important to avoid drawing conclusions too quickly from a single indicator.

A student who speaks little, who mixes their languages, or who understands routines better than abstract instructions may simply be learning a new language. These observations must be placed within their overall linguistic profile before being interpreted as signs of a disorder.

Can bilingualism cause a language disorder?

No. Bilingualism is not a risk factor for language development.

However, a bilingual child may present with a language disorder, just like a monolingual child. In this case, it is not the presence of multiple languages that causes the difficulties.

Rather, it is the persistence of difficulties, their presence in multiple languages and contexts, as well as observations from the family and the team, that allow for a better understanding of the profile.

The way data is interpreted can therefore create the illusion of a delay when bilingual development itself is simply different from monolingual development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you only speak French to a child who is learning several languages?

No. Maintaining the home language does not prevent the learning of French or another language of schooling. Rich and natural exchanges in the language the family masters best, on the contrary, provide an important foundation for language development.

Is a bilingual child who speaks less in one of their languages delayed?

Not necessarily. A bilingual child's vocabulary and skills may be distributed differently across their languages depending on their exposure, their interlocutors, and the contexts in which each is used. Therefore, a single language does not always provide a complete picture of their linguistic abilities.

To learn more.

References

• Cummins, J. (1979). Cognitive/academic language proficiency, linguistic interdependence, the optimum age question and some other matters. Working Papers on Bilingualism, 19, 121-129.
• Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781853596773
• Hakuta, K., Butler, Y. G., and Witt, D. (2000). How long does it take English learners to attain proficiency? University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute.
• Paradis, J., Genesee, F., and Crago, M. B. (2021). Dual language development and disorders: A handbook on bilingualism and second language learning (3rd ed.). Brookes Publishing.