Human communication and connection are rooted in the concept of language, making language acquisition one of the most fundamental skills gained during early childhood development. From the moment humans are born, they are immersed in a language, whether spoken or signed, which dictates which language, or languages, an individual will speak fluently further into childhood and adulthood. For many immigrant families in the United States, young children are learning 2 or more languages simultaneously with most usually being their mother tongue and English. Some say that this early bilingualism or multilingualism is an advantage for childhood cognitive development, but is this true? If there is some advantage, then isn’t it vital for children to learn more than one language? Can language be a conduit of more than just communication between people? Can language make one cognitively better or achieve greater aptitudes?
Language acquisition begins in infancy. Infants begin picking up language through units called phonemes, these are groups of non-identical sounds, and there are about 40 unique groups in every language (Kuhl, 2011). Within the first year of life, infants adopt phonetic differences that are relevant to their mother tongue. For instance, infants learning Spanish will differentiate between the /b/ and /p/ sounds of Spanish words, while English-learning infants will group them together (Kuhl, 2011). While this period is critical for phonetic discrimination, subsequent periods focus on other levels of language acquisition such as syntactic and lexical. In fact, full verbal mastery of a given language is not reached until about age 8 or 9 (Kuhl, 2011).
Within this first year of life, infants demonstrate a universal language system, in which they can simultaneously detect phonetic differences in all the languages to which they have been exposed. If continuously exposed to two or more languages within this critical period, infants can grasp and differentiate between phonemes in multiple languages. This later allows them to differentiate between words within the same language and across several languages. Evidence shows that this bilingualism has a unique impact on language acquisition and processing within the brain. Studies show that there are higher processing demands in bilingual people because they must engage their brains to a greater extent to distinguish between multiple languages. There is also evidence for the larger involvement of brain areas related to language control in bilingual people (Costa & Gallés, 2015). Consequently, this higher brain engagement allows bilingual people to have higher general control over auditory processing, especially with things like music and rhythm (Costa & Gallés, 2015). This research, along with studies on the effects of bilingualism, shows that there is a biological advantage that comes with being fluent in multiple languages. Do these differences correspond with higher intelligence and functioning among bilingual individuals?
There are obvious social benefits to being multilingual, such as enhanced communication abilities in career pathways, traveling, and connecting with culture and family. These social benefits have also manifested in everyday life as bilingual children are able to better understand others’ perspectives and thoughts and show a higher sensitivity to changes in tone of voice (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2018).
Aside from these, there are also numerous psychological and cognitive benefits. These benefits include being able to switch between tasks and inhibit previously learned responses (i.e. adopting new/different methods of doing the same task) because bilingual individuals do this constantly by having to switch languages and engage differently in different social scenarios. Bilingual children also have better memory and perform better in school because they must remember greater levels of vocabulary and grammar across multiple languages to communicate regularly (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2018). This enriches their cognitive development from infancy and leads to better processing and learning in the academic setting.
As research continues, it is clear that bilingualism and multilingualism pose benefits to children that may very well extend into adulthood. Early bilingualism and multilingualism are great opportunities to enrich the cognitive development of infants and children. These practices can help children gain advantages with higher language and auditory processing, enhanced memory, and better performance in school and other academic settings. Additionally, it is a chance for them to better connect with diverse cultures, which they will grow to appreciate later in their lives. In light of the numerous neurocognitive benefits that come with bilingualism, it is thus imperative to emphasize language learning, especially for those who would be heritage speakers, in both the household and larger school community.
About the Author
Ishika Vyas is a rising sophomore at Harvard College.
References
Language acquisition begins in infancy. Infants begin picking up language through units called phonemes, these are groups of non-identical sounds, and there are about 40 unique groups in every language (Kuhl, 2011). Within the first year of life, infants adopt phonetic differences that are relevant to their mother tongue. For instance, infants learning Spanish will differentiate between the /b/ and /p/ sounds of Spanish words, while English-learning infants will group them together (Kuhl, 2011). While this period is critical for phonetic discrimination, subsequent periods focus on other levels of language acquisition such as syntactic and lexical. In fact, full verbal mastery of a given language is not reached until about age 8 or 9 (Kuhl, 2011).
Within this first year of life, infants demonstrate a universal language system, in which they can simultaneously detect phonetic differences in all the languages to which they have been exposed. If continuously exposed to two or more languages within this critical period, infants can grasp and differentiate between phonemes in multiple languages. This later allows them to differentiate between words within the same language and across several languages. Evidence shows that this bilingualism has a unique impact on language acquisition and processing within the brain. Studies show that there are higher processing demands in bilingual people because they must engage their brains to a greater extent to distinguish between multiple languages. There is also evidence for the larger involvement of brain areas related to language control in bilingual people (Costa & Gallés, 2015). Consequently, this higher brain engagement allows bilingual people to have higher general control over auditory processing, especially with things like music and rhythm (Costa & Gallés, 2015). This research, along with studies on the effects of bilingualism, shows that there is a biological advantage that comes with being fluent in multiple languages. Do these differences correspond with higher intelligence and functioning among bilingual individuals?
There are obvious social benefits to being multilingual, such as enhanced communication abilities in career pathways, traveling, and connecting with culture and family. These social benefits have also manifested in everyday life as bilingual children are able to better understand others’ perspectives and thoughts and show a higher sensitivity to changes in tone of voice (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2018).
Aside from these, there are also numerous psychological and cognitive benefits. These benefits include being able to switch between tasks and inhibit previously learned responses (i.e. adopting new/different methods of doing the same task) because bilingual individuals do this constantly by having to switch languages and engage differently in different social scenarios. Bilingual children also have better memory and perform better in school because they must remember greater levels of vocabulary and grammar across multiple languages to communicate regularly (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2018). This enriches their cognitive development from infancy and leads to better processing and learning in the academic setting.
As research continues, it is clear that bilingualism and multilingualism pose benefits to children that may very well extend into adulthood. Early bilingualism and multilingualism are great opportunities to enrich the cognitive development of infants and children. These practices can help children gain advantages with higher language and auditory processing, enhanced memory, and better performance in school and other academic settings. Additionally, it is a chance for them to better connect with diverse cultures, which they will grow to appreciate later in their lives. In light of the numerous neurocognitive benefits that come with bilingualism, it is thus imperative to emphasize language learning, especially for those who would be heritage speakers, in both the household and larger school community.
About the Author
Ishika Vyas is a rising sophomore at Harvard College.
References
- Byers-Heinlein, K., & Lew-Williams, C. (2013). Bilingualism in the Early Years: What the Science Says. LEARNing landscapes, 7(1), 95–112.
- Costa, A., & Sebastián-Gallés, N. (2014). How does the bilingual experience sculpt the brain?. Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 15(5), 336–345.
- Kuhl P. K. (2010). Brain mechanisms in early language acquisition. Neuron, 67(5), 713–727.
