Children today are being raised in bilingual or multilingual homes rather than monolingual. Children from birth are using two languages simultaneously. Some feel that children who learn two languages simultaneously is detrimental, but this has been disapproved. Children who have learned two languages are able to differentiate between the two languages, understand and speak it. By the time a child has reached age 2 they are able to know what language is spoken to whom and in what situation. Being exposed to two languages in different social contexts, and the attitudes of the parents about two languages will affect the child’s language choice.
There are different types of Early Childhood Bilingualism. The one parent one language approach can be difficult on families because, the child may not spend equal time with both parents. Another approach is the home language is different from the language outside of the home. The child speaks one language at home and another outside of home, such as school. Another approach is mixed language, where the parents speak both languages to the child. The last approach is, delayed introduction of the second language, this is when parent’s may delay teaching and exposing the child to the dominant language.
In today’s society many people are multilingual and not just bilingual. A trilingual education is common in South Asia and China, where they receive instruction in a regional and national language and then English. There are cultural and cognitive advantages to being multilinguals. Multilinguals are very effective and can lead to learning other languages and cultures. An issue that is raised in schools concerning bilingualism is code switching and code mixing. Both of these terms are used interchangeably at times. These terms are used when individuals switch back and forth between languages. Bilinguals have a difficult time keeping the languages separate regardless if they are speaking to another bilingual or a monolingual. When a child goes back and forth between languages it is usually to get their point across or their ideas understood.
When speaking to students, many times they code switch without even realizing it when speaking to an English speaker. When they are speaking with me if they are unable to remember the word in English, they will say it in spanish and someone close by may give the translation of the word.
Baker, Colin: Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilinguals (5th edition). Multilingual Matters. Tonawanda, N.Y. 2011. (ISBN: 9781847693556)
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