Multilingual development in children
It is normal to be bilingual and multilingual
Growing up bilingual or multilingual is nothing unusual. It is estimated that at least half of the world’s population grows up with two or more languages. Language researchers distinguish between two main types of bilingualism:
Simultaneous bilingualism: A child who grows up with two first languages. This is typically the case when a child’s parents have different native languages and both parents actively use their language with the child.
Sequential bilingualism: A child who begins life with one first language and later acquires an additional language.
Researchers also distinguish between receptive and productive language skills. Receptive skills refer to the ability to understand a language, whereas productive skills refer to the ability to speak it. It is quite common for multilingual children to develop strong receptive skills in their heritage language (they can understand their parents’ language), while their productive skills vary considerably. In my research, I find that only about half of children with a minority language background are able to speak their parents’ language fluently.
Does exposure to multiple languages cause language delay?
Many parents wonder whether exposing their child to multiple languages will delay their language development. The answer is a bit nuanced, but the short answer is: no. Some multilingual children may appear to develop each individual language more slowly than monolingual children. However, when you look at the child’s total language skills across all languages, they typically know just as much – if not more – than a monolingual child.
This is particularly noticeable in vocabulary, where a child may have some “gaps” in each language. These gaps are normal and fill in over time. With continued exposure, the child develops strong skills in both languages, while a monolingual child will still only know one. If a child shows difficulties with language development, it is usually related to the language environment, not their innate ability to learn multiple languages.
How to create a strong language environment for your multilingual child
To develop multiple first languages, children need a supportive language environment. Here are some key ingredients:
Communicative need: Children develop language as a solution to a problem – they want to communicate with their parents, starting with limited options such as crying. Over time, they “crack the code” of language. The challenge for multilingual children arises when communication with their parents can be done in just one language instead of two. For example, if the parents are Danish and German but speak only Danish with each other, the child may only develop productive skills in Danish.
Language input: To acquire a language, children need sufficient exposure. If one parent spends significantly less time with the child, it is expected that the child will learn that parent’s language more slowly.
Quality of interaction: Children learn language best when they are spoken with, not to. Interaction means engaging with the child, adjusting to their needs, and giving them space to practice and use the language.
Five tips for supporting language development
There are many things you can do to create a strong language environment in your own language, but here are five key tips:
1. Talk as a family about your language goals.
It’s important that both parents discuss their wishes for the child’s language development. Which languages do you want your child to learn – and why? How can you support each other in reaching these goals, even when it’s challenging? These conversations lay the foundation for a shared and consistent language environment.
2. Communicate early and often.
Start talking to your child from the moment they are born. Children begin acquiring language from day one. The first words usually appear around the first birthday, but during the first year, the child’s brain is busy learning the sounds of language and beginning to understand how words work. All this development depends on having language to work with.
3. Interpret, repeat, and expand.
When your child communicates, interpret in your own language what you think they are trying to say. For example, if your child points to a teddy bear, you might say, “Do you want the teddy?” Once your child starts speaking, consistently repeat their utterances and expand on them. If they say, “Teddy now!”, you can respond: “You want your teddy right now. Here you go, sweetie.” This strategy is very effective and continuously supports language development.
4. Play together.
Children practice emerging language skills through play. Playing together gives them even more opportunities to develop language. Adults make great play partners because we can intentionally support the child, and we tend to naturally include more complex language in the play, which is excellent for language growth.
5. Read aloud in your language.
Reading aloud is a highly effective way to stimulate language development. Picture books introduce many new words, often supported visually. Reading aloud is also a calm, enjoyable activity that creates opportunities to talk about the story. As a parent, you can pause and discuss the book with your child, giving them even more practice using language. Aim to read at least one book aloud every day.
Stagnation & loss of the heritage language
Some parents notice that their child’s development in the heritage language seems to go well at first, but once the child starts daycare or school, progress appears to stall. This is called “language stagnation.” The reason is that the child is now exposed to much less of the parents’ language during the day. At the same time, the child becomes aware that the parents’ language is in a minority position — it may not be useful outside the home.
The solution is not to keep the child at home, since they also need to learn the majority language and culture. However, parents must be extra attentive to creating a language-rich environment at home in the heritage language(s). Keep the “pot boiling”! Fortunately, multilingual children are good at making a lot out of limited input, and as long as you continue interacting with your child as much as possible in your own language, you are setting the conditions for continued language development.
If you start speaking the majority language at home — and stop using your own language with the child — the child will quickly begin to forget their heritage language. This is called “language loss”, a well-documented phenomenon in language research. My clear recommendation is to avoid using the majority language with the child unless it is also your own native language. The exception is if one parent’s mother tongue is the majority language — of course, that parent should continue passing on their own language. But it is especially important that the parent with the minority language continues to communicate with the child in their heritage language.
