Mini Module 13: The Brain and Bilingual Language Learning

When infants are born, they can distinguish differences among sounds representative of all languages. They are ready to learn any language they hear. However, by the age of six months they begin to specialize in their home language. Research shows that a child’s early experiences with language help determine which brain connections develop and which are "pruned away." How children learn a second language and the value of being bilingual is often misunderstood or overlooked.

Throughout children’s early development there are critical and/or sensitive periods in learning certain skills often described as "Windows of Opportunity."The child’s brain is very different from an adult brain—a very dynamic structure that is continually evolving. A two year old child has twice as many synapses as an adult. This young brain must use the connections or they are simply lost as the brain matures. The power to learn language is so great in a young child that they are able to learn many spoken languages. Early childhood is a great window of opportunity for children to learn a second or even a third language in. Their brain is simply pre-programmed to develop language!

References:

Learning Languages Boosts Brain Power; BBC News; October 2004.

Reading into Brain Development; Satkofsky, Amy; March 2005.

Second Language Learning; Phillips, Melissa Lee; Neuroscience for Kids August 2002.

The Rosenberg Report: Raising bilingual children; Rosenberg, Marsha; June 1996.

Today more than ever many more families speak more than one language in the home. Raising children to be successful in more than one language requires intentional planning and some information about bilingual language development. Families need to consider how their children will develop two languages, clarify their own definition of bilingualism (defined in terms of listening, speaking, reading and writing), and plan for opportunities for learning language.

There are two types of childhood bilingualism that have been defined: simultaneous learning of two languages and sequential bilingualism.

Simultaneous language learning happens when children learn two languages concurrently. This model can happen when a child’s parents speak different languages and/or one language is spoken in the home and another language is spoken at school. Support for simultaneous language learning is important to assist children in language goals and usage. Some examples of how this can happen are:

• Each parent consistently speaks one language, while the other parent (or family member) speaks another language.
• Both parents speak one language in the home and a second language is used at school.
• One language is used in the home and school, and the second language is used in the community.
• Both parents speak both languages to the child but separate the languages according to speaking situations or on alternate days.

Simultaneous learning tends to be affected by four key factors:

1. The parents’ ability in one or more languages. Some parents speak only one language, the language of the home, and are not able to speak the language of the school or of the community.
2. The parents’ actual use of the language with the child. The parents may have the language ability in two or more languages, but have made a decision about which language they speak with the child.
3. The language or languages other family members speak with the child, such as the language spoken between children and extended family or between siblings.
4. The language the child uses in the community.

Sequential bilingualism occurs when a child has established one language before learning a second. The age of three years usually separates simultaneous and sequential language learning when language is learned more formally through a school or class process.

Consistency is also a key in early language learning. Rich language experiences in both languages are essential for good bilingual development. The quality of the language interaction is also very important. The language used should be developmentally appropriate and should include encouragement and approval along with opportunities to expand the language. Strategies to expand language include language models [who both listen to and converse with the child], print material in language, and music with lyrics in the language.

Each child learns language as his/her own rate. Some factors influencing this rate may be:

• Stability and mobility. A family that remains in the second language community for a longer period of time will increase the chances of the child retaining the second language.
• Relationships within the family. For example if the mother and father speak different languages, but one parent is often away from the family, the child will have a more difficult time learning the language of the absent parent.
• Attitudes towards each language expressed by the parents, other family members, the school, the community and especially the child. All of these factors can affect the development of one or both languages. Both languages, if given importance and sense of worth in all aspects of the child’s life will support language development in both languages. All children have a need and desire to communicate when language experiences are positive and meaningful.

Knowing two or more languages truly gives children many advantages in life. Bilingual children have the advantage of knowing two cultures, of being able to communicate with a wider variety of people, and of possible economic advantages in their future (examples may include: more opportunity for jobs, requirement/preference of employers for bilingual employees, the global economy provides more opportunity for those that can interface with more facets of the market, etc.). Research has even shown advantages in cognitive skills among bilingual individuals.

It is shown that being bilingual produces changes in the anatomy of the brain. Brain scans have actually revealed the density of the grey matter is greater in bilinguals than in those without a second language. Researchers have found that people who speak two languages have more grey matter (grey matter in the brain is made up of neurons, or brain cells) in the language region of the brain. The earlier they learned the language, the larger the grey area. “The grey matter in this region increases in bilinguals relative to monolinguals -- this is particularly true in early bilinguals who learned a second language early in life,” said Andrea Mechelli, a neuroscientist at University College London.

Becoming bilingual is a special gift parents can offer their children! Bilingualism can help to support, develop and maintain and enhance a child’s self identity, self-esteem, schooling options and other social factors. Above all, the child remains connected to the family and to the community.