It is remarkable that bilingual babies can learn two languages at the same time other babies learn one. On average, bilingual and monolingual babies start talking around age 1 and can say 50 words at 18 months. But, the question is how?

DURATION and PITCH

According to a research from the university of British Columbia and Université Paris Descartes, from the age of seven months babies are able to distinguish two languages with different grammatical structures.

It shows that infants in bilingual environments use duration and pitch cues to distinguish between two languages that have opposite grammatical structures. Even if they do not understand the meaning of the words, they seem to be able to tell the difference between nouns, prepositions, verbs, and articles based on sound qualities.

According to Janet Werker, UBC psychologist and co-author of the study, babies know the differences between two opposing languages and use them as cues to tell one from the other in as early as seven months. Typically, languages have two grammatical structures – verb-object and object-verb. For example, the English phrase “Eat the banana” has the verb before the object. In Japanese, the equivalent phrase is “Ringo o taberu” which directly means “Apple eat”. Notice that the object comes before the verb.

FREQUENCY

Previous researches also showed that babies use frequency of words in speech to know their significance, so essentially they are learning by counting. For example, the words “the” and “with” come up more frequently than other words. However, babies who are growing up bilingual need to develop new methods to cope with two languages.

Italian researchers also wondered why there is no delay and found out that being bilingual makes the brain more flexible. According to their studies, bilingual babies learn two kinds of patterns at the same time. So, if you speak two languages at home, you do not need to be afraid your baby will have delayed speech development, as your baby is well-equipped to keep those languages separate.

These researchers hope to reassure parents that learning two languages at the same does not cause any delay in speech development. In facts, raising a bilingual child has a number of benefits. Learning two languages has been linked to earlier reading, better problem solving, and creative thinking compared to monolingual kids.

Do you speak two languages in your home?

Written by Team Health & Parenting

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

Children raised in bilingual homes are at an advantage when it comes to learning to speak. The earlier your child is introduced to a second language, the faster she will pick it up. In this global world, there are many benefits to speaking two or more languages. Most importantly, it will allow your child to communicate with her extended family and friends who speak another language. Raising your child to speak two languages can actually alter her brain development for the better. If you’re thinking about raising a bilingual child, here are some top tips to help you get started:

1. Do your research

There are plenty of books, blogs and articles out there full of advice that could help you on your journey. There are also plenty of on and offline support groups filled with parents on the exact same journey as you. The more research you do, the better prepared you’ll be when raising a bilingual child. Read the books, sign up to the blogs and join the parent support groups to help make this journey a little easier.

2. One parent, one language

Many families create a bilingual home environment by having each parent talk to the child in a different language. Whilst dad might speak to your baby in English, you yourself may speak Spanish. Consistency here will aid the development of your baby’s language skills. Of course, your baby will hear English frequently outside the home, but if you commit to always communicating in Spanish, this will help your baby to begin to understand both languages.

3. Frequency

In order to truly become bilingual, your child will need to hear both languages frequently. This means you can’t isolate one language to just an hour a day, both must be used frequently to give your baby the best chance at a bilingual start in life.

4. Connect with other families

Rest assured, you are not the only bilingual family in your local area. Look online for other bilingual parents to connect with. Setting up play dates with other bilingual families gives your child yet another chance to strengthen his language skills. Search online for a bilingual baby group in your local area. If you can’t find one, consider setting one up. All you need is a space to meet (it could even be your local park), a few toys and a handful of other families to meet up with. This will give your child another opportunity to see interactions in other languages.

5. Use resources

Even at a young age, babies love having bedtime stories read to them. Storybooks provide yet another opportunity for language development, so make sure you have storybooks in both languages. If you’re trying to teach your child Spanish, reading bedtime stories in Spanish is another great teaching tool. As your baby grows older, you may also want to watch Spanish speaking television shows together and use Spanish preschool apps to learn language skills.

Are you currently raising a bilingual child? Do you have any tips to share with other parents?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.