Multilingualism: The Confusion Myth

Are bilingualism and multilingualism the same thing? 

Bilingualism refers to when a person is fluent in two languages; where multilingualism refers to being proficient in more than two languages.

There are two types of bilingualism that occur in early childhood: Simultaneous bilingualism is where a child learns two languages at the same time, from birth  

Sequential bilingualism is when a child learns a new language after their home language has been established.  

Will speaking more than one language ‘confuse’ my child and cause a language delay or difficulties at school? 

There is no evidence in the academic literature that supports the idea that learning more than one language will cause confusion. It is a myth. 

Most children around the world are exposed to more than one language in childhood, for example, a family may speak one language at home which is different to the language that the child is being educated in at school. Being able to speak one’s home language is an important part of learning one’s culture. 

People seem to think of the brain as having a determined amount of ‘space’ in it to learn and hold a language. Like a book, the brain has a certain amount of pages in it that can be filled, once all the pages are used, the book is ‘filled up’. The idea that the brain only has so much storage capacity is a myth. Think of the brain as a ‘super computer’ with infinite storage capacity. One language will not take space away from another language, multiple languages can coexist symbiotically (meaning that they help each other out – think about how when you can’t find a word in one language, you can simply use the word in another language).  

In fact, research shows that having established and strong skills in the home language actually help in the development of a second language! 

Should I stop speaking my home language to my child in favour of the language they are learning in? 

Some people with the best intentions might advise you to stop speaking your home language entirely to focus on developing their skills in the dominant language (e.g. English). However, if you yourself are not a fluent speaker of the second language, you risk being a poor language model and exposing your child to incorrect grammar or vocabulary. You should speak to your child in the language/s that you are most fluent and comfortable in.

Taking away the child’s home language also takes away the ability to pass on the family’s culture and values. 

Another point is that by removing your child’s home language from their repertoire, we are actually taking away a cognitive tool, or something that helps them to think and understand.  

We know that verbal skills in the dominant language (e.g. English), and strong verbal and literary skills in the home language is critical in the development of literacy in English. 

This means that learning to read in English will be easier if your child is able to speak their home language well, and is developing or has developed reading skills in their home language. 

Key take aways: 

Being bilingual will not cause confusion or a delay, in fact, knowing more than one language is beneficial for brain development. 

When introducing a second language, keep skills in the home language strong. A child needs to be able to speak their home language well in order to develop reading and writing skills in their second language if they are a sequential bilingual. 

Skills learned in one language can be carried over to another language (known as cross-linguistic transfer). In other words, concepts or knowledge learned in one language is also used in the other language! This is why there is no need to stop using the home language in favour of another, the knowledge/conceptual development learned in the home language will transfer into the new language. 

So, if your child is learning in English at school, verbal proficiency in English, as well as verbal and literary skills in the home language is crucial when becoming literate in English.