Worldwide, there are more people who speak two or more languages than people who speak only one language.i So, in fact, multilingualism is the norm, while learning only one language is the exception. There are many ways to learn a second or third language: one language at home and a different language at daycare, two languages at home, two languages at home and a third at school, just to name a few. Languages can be learned at the same time (simultaneous bilingualism) or one after the other (sequential bilingualism). A second language can also be learned later in childhood or even in adulthood.

Bilingualism/Multilingualism

Being skilled in more than one language brings about many advantages which include increased employment opportunities and sharpened cognitive skills.ii Nonetheless, there are many myths surrounding multilingualism, especially when we are talking about children with delays or impairment in one or more areas of their development.

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Bilingualism/Multilingualism

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Myth # 1

Exposing my child to two or more languages will lead to language confusion:

FALSE. Children are generally very good at knowing which language is which. Many do mix words from each language when speaking (referred to as code-mixing), but this is not a sign of confusion. It is in fact a communicative resource in that children will often use a word from another language when they do not know the word in the language that is being spoken.iii Furthermore, we know that children tend to mix languages to the same extent as their parents, so they are really just doing what they have been taught to do.iv

Myth # 2

To avoid confusing my child, people around him should each speak only one language:

FALSE. We now know that this is not necessary and, in fact, it is very hard to do. Even when we think we are only using one language, we often mix two or more languages without realizing it. Doing this will not cause a problem.

Myth # 3

If my child is having difficulty learning a first language, I should not expose him to a second or third language:

FALSE. Many believe that this is true because they think that if one language is hard, two or more languages must be harder. This is not true. There are many aspects of language that transfer naturally from one language to another and therefore learning two languages is not like learning one language twice over. Think of children who learn to read in their first language when they have only received reading instruction in their second language—it often happens naturally on its own. Evenchildren with a language impair-ment, intellectual impairmentiv, or autism spectrum disordervii can learn another language as well as they learned or are learning their first language. Learning another language will not aggravate their language difficulties.

Myth # 4

In order to best prepare my child for school success, I should expose him to the language of education as soon as possible and as much as possible:

FALSE. What is most important is to expose your child to the richest language forms possible and to build on your child’s language by always presenting language models that are slightly more complex than their cur-rent language level. We also know that children who continue to be exposed to their home language do bet-ter in school than children whose families discontinue or reduce the home language in favour of greater expo-sure to the language of schooling.viii

Myth # 5

In order to learn a language well, a child must learn a language early:

FALSE. It is never too late, or too early, to learn a language.

What do I need to do to make sure that my child learns the language well?

Certain basic conditions are necessary. These include:

• Good language models: each person should only speak to the child in a language that they master fully.• Sufficient exposure: at least 30% exposure to a language is necessary for your child to be able to use that language to communicate.ix Around 40% exposure is necessary in order to be as proficient as a monolingual child in that language.x To see whether your child receives enough exposure to the language, calculate the approximate percentage for all of his waking hours over a given week. • Sustained language exposure: the exposure to the language should not just be once in a while, it should be continuous.

If I do not speak the language well enough, how can I make sure that my child has enough exposure to a second or third language?

• Audio books and podcasts• Extra-curricular activities in the language• Seeking out daycare or school settings where the language is used or taught

For more information on this topic and for specific examples of children growing up in a multilingual setting, refer to:

Paradis, J., Genesee, F., & Crago, M. (2011). Dual language development and disorders: A handbook on bilingualism and second language learning (2nd Edition). Baltimore, MD: Brookes.iGrosjean, F. (2010). Bilingual: Life and Reality. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.iiAdesope, O. O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A systematic review and meta-analysis on the cognitive benefits of bilingualism. Review of Educational Research, 80, 207-245.iiiGenesee, F., Paradis, J., & Wolf, L. (1995). The nature of the bilingual child’s lexicon. Unpublished research report, Psychology Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ivLanza, E. (1997). Language contact in bilingual two-year-olds and code-switching: Language encounters of a different kind?” International Journal of Bilingualism, 1, 135-162.vParadis, J., Crago, M., Genesee, F. & Rice, M. (2003). Bilingual children with specific language impairment: How do they compare with their monolingual peers? Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 46, 1-15.viKay-Raining Bird, E., Cleave, P.,Trudeau, N., Thordardottir, E., Sutton, A., & Thorpe, A., (2005). The language abilities of bilingual children with Down syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 14, 187–199.viiOhashi, J. K. et al. (2012). Comparing early language development in monolingual- and bilingual-exposed young children with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6, 890-897.viiiParadis, J. (2011). Individual differences in child English second language acquisition: Comparing child-internal and child-external factors. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 1, 213-237. ixElin Thordardottir. (2011). The relationship between amount of bilingual exposure and vocabulary development. International Journal of Bilingualism, 14, 426–445. xElin Thordardottir (2014). The relationship between bilingual exposure and morphosyntactic development. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16, 1-18.

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