Bilingual Language Acquisition & Development

Bilingual Language Acquisition & Development

• Bilingualism is the use of two or more languages.
• Multilingualism is the use of more than two languages.
• Current literature often uses these terms interchangeably.
• Bilinguals do not need to have acquired all their languages since birth.
• Competent users of their home language and a second language are considered bilingual

Learning Outcomes

• Students should be able to identify similarities and differences between monolingual and bilingual language development.
• Understand the variability in language acquisition settings and their impact on development.
• Recognise bilingual language development in young children and older adults.
• Develop a better understanding of bilingualism.
• Understand the ongoing debate regarding bilingualism and its effects on cognition.

Monolingual First Language Acquisition (MFLA) - Overview

• Communication: Intentional communication emerges, and conversational initiative/responsiveness grows alongside a range of distinguishable communicative purposes. Narrative skills develop.
• Phonology: Canonical babbling and vocal play, alongside phonological awareness and phonetic inventory completion.
• Lexicon: Recognition of one's own name, 50-word productive vocabulary expanding to eventually 500 words. First words and word spurt.
• Grammar: Increasing word length in combinations; adding grammatical morphemes (e.g., negatives and questions). First word combinations.

Variability in Language Acquisition

• Infant/Child-directed speech (Input): Parentese/motherese is characterized by higher pitch, exaggerated intonation, and shorter utterances and repetitions, with some parents speaking more than others with their infants.
• Socio-economic Status: Quantity and quality of IDS/CDS may impact how language develops as a result of varying cultural input.
• Culturally-driven: Western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic (WEIRD) vs. non-WEIRD societies demonstrate language learning variability.

First Year of Life in Bilingual First Language Acquisition (BFLA) Settings

• Some studies show a temporary decline in phonetic perception in pre-verbal bilingual babies (compared to monolingual).
• Other studies show the same acquisition trajectory as monolingual infants.
• Quantity and quality of speech heard in each language directly impacts language development

Beyond the First Year in BFLA Settings

• Vocabulary size for each language is often smaller than in monolingual children when assessed in isolation, but when both languages are considered, the vocabulary size is similar or greater.
• Acquisition of vocabulary and grammar is similar to monolinguals.

Overall Bilingual Language Acquisition

• No delay occurs in language learning and development when compared to monolinguals.
• Removing a language does not enhance the acquisition of the other.
• Learning one language can improve the acquisition of another.
• Bilingual toddlers demonstrate greater flexibility in associating words/terms with known objects.

Bilingualism and Cognition

• Brain activation in bilingual children is higher for their dominant language.
• Bilingual children often have higher brain tissue density in areas linked to language functions, executive functions, and memory.
• The earlier bilingualism begins, the denser the brain tissue.
• Increased metacognitive and metalinguistic skills are evident in bilinguals.
• Some reported bilingual advantages, while others do not find any such advantage.

Bilingualism, Cognition & Ageing

• Bilingualism can contribute to better cognitive abilities and delay the onset of dementia in older adults.
• Studies have shown bilingualism mitigates age-related cognitive decline.
• Bilinguals maintain superior cognitive abilities compared to monolinguals, even as they age.
• The bilingual advantage exists mainly in older populations (60+ years old).

Possible Language Patterns in Neurotypical BFLA over 1;6 years old

• Patterns of language comprehension and production differ, but some children may move between these patterns (e.g., migrating to a country that doesn't support the same or similar language as practiced at home).

Possible Language Patterns in Neurotypical ESLA over 3 years old

• Differences in language comprehension and production arise during second language acquisition, with some patterns showing delays in production, or a lack of comprehension of the second language at times

Silent Period

• Some bilingual children transition into a "silent period" after ESLA, during which they only produce small utterances in the second language, or do not speak the second language at all for two or more years.
• This period is considered common, and is often seen as normal language development, especially if there are other contributing factors like socio-emotional reasons.

Language in Bilingual Older Adults

• Older bilingual individuals face similar language challenges as monolinguals, such as lexical retrieval
• However, there's no age-related difference between younger and older adults in terms of bilingualism (when comparing both to monolingual). This implies there might be poorer syntax compared to monolinguals in this context.

Implications for Clinical Practice

• Support for bilinguals should be incorporated into SLT provision
• Determine the languages spoken in the individual's environment and workplace
• Include these languages when discussing subjects
• Be culturally sensitive
• Adapt materials (audio & visual) in home languages
• Seek advice from guidelines (like RCSLT).
• Adapt your services, and use bilingual co-workers/interpreters when necessary.

Supporting Bilingual Individuals Across the Lifespan

• Adapt services to accommodate diverse clinical populations, including bilingual children on the autism spectrum, with aphasia, and who stammer
• Offer support to bilingual young people with developmental language disorders (DLD).
• Adhere to RCSLT and NICE guidelines for bilingualism considerations in practice
• Work with bilingual co-workers/interpreters as needed

Your Legal Responsibility

• Services with high bilingual populations (5-10% or more) are expected to have qualified speech-language therapists with experience in this area.
• Working with interpreters is essential and aligned with the Equality Act of 2010.
• Provide equal service provision for bilingual clients.

RCSLT e-learning tool

• Access e-learning tools and resources through the RCSLT website
• Register for access if required

Post-lecture activity

• Activities involving reading and completing tasks from provided links and articles on Bilingualism.

This quiz explores bilingualism and its implications for language development. Students will compare monolingual and bilingual language acquisition, recognizing patterns in various age groups. It also addresses the cognitive effects of bilingualism and the nuances of language learning environments.