Bilingualism is Magic

A Guide for Supporting Bilingualism at an Early Age

November 3, 2023

“At birth, the infant brain can perceive the full set of 800 or so sounds…that can be strung together to form all the words in every language of the world” (Kuhl). Let’s just say your baby is born with magical abilities to learn language! Now, let's dive into specific ways parents can harness those innate language learning abilities.

Bilingualism is the ability to speak two languages (language A/B). One way a person can be bilingual is often referred to as a simultaneous bilingual; someone who acquired both languages at the same time. Children exposed to two languages at birth or before the formation of words will often fall into this category.

A sequential bilingual is someone who first acquired one language and then the second language at another time. One is not better than the other. There are many people who are simultaneous or sequential bilinguals and have perfect command of both languages. 

Parenting Methods for Bilingualism 

Keep in mind that there isn’t a one-size fits all approach, nor is there a 100% match. After all, following a method for language learning needs to be flexible and must fit your needs to be sustainable.

1. One Person, One Language (OPOL)

OPOL is when one person speaks language A (usually their most dominant language) and another person speaks language B with the child. Whether it's a parent, a grandparent or a nanny, it's the same approach. For example, if the father speaks only English and the mother is a Spanish speaker, then the mother will only speak Spanish with the child. 

Positives: Clear guidelines as each person should stick to the rule of one person, one language when talking to the child and try their best not to change to another. With consistency, the child will begin to associate certain adults with their respective language.

Negatives: Commonly, one language will eventually get more exposure, meaning one language may be more fluent than the other. Parents will also be switching languages in order to communicate with each other.

2. Minority Language at Home (MLAH) 

MLAH is the use of the majority language (language A) in the community and the minority language (language B) at home.

Positives: Many studies suggest that MLAH is the best method of helping children become bilingual because of the naturalistic elements. There is minimal switching between languages and sentences are grammatically structured.

Negatives: All members of the home must be fluent in language B. This is difficult when you have a multicultural family with other languages also being spoken. For example, if one parent is learning to speak language B but is not fluent enough to communicate effectively then this method may not be sustainable.

3. Time and Place 

The time and place method is choosing a specific time and a place (or both) to speak with their child in a certain language. This is the most flexible of all methods. For example when choosing the time, language A is spoken during the week and language B on the weekends. An example of a place rule would be speaking language A in the kitchen and language B in the play room. You can also decide when to change the time and place.

Positives: This language method is excellent for its flexibility. You can choose what best suits your family. It's also a great addition to one of the other methods. 

Negatives: One of the two languages may have limited exposure. Parents need to be very consistent with this strategy and make sure they speak the right languages at the time or place they have designated.

Now you see, your baby isn’t the only person with magical abilities! Focus on the method or combination of methods that work and don’t be afraid to change it up when it doesn’t. It won’t always be easy, but stay consistent and have fun with it. Language learning is incredible, and teaching language can carry emotional connection to culture, family and live on for legacies. Our speech language pathologist and bilingual SLP assistant can help guide you to create a language learning plan.