Bilingualism, being proficient in the use of two languages, has been gaining increasing popularity among parenting books as a result of research efforts demonstrating the abundant potential in neuroplasticity during a child’s early development. In addition to increased accessibility to opportunities that inherently accompanies fluency in two languages, bilingualism has also been correlated with increased creativity, a strengthened ability to focus on multiple simultaneous tasks, and greater ease with learning additional languages (Bennett, 2017). Because of the social, cognitive, and academic benefits of bilingualism, recent research studies have been directed towards understanding the structural and functional manifestations of learning two languages during early development, as well as possible parenting approaches to foster this acquisition.
In the article, “Early bilingualism, language attainment, and brain development,” Berken et al. studied bilingualism as a means of understanding differences in brain circuitry development during sensitive periods conducive to skill acquisition (i.e., during the time of greatest neuroplasticity, when brain circuitry is being formed) compared to learning the skill later in life, at a time when acquisition of a first language has already been developed. The resulting analysis of concurrent and sequential bilingualism attainment provides compelling evidence for the former’s increased potential in more effectively acquiring the skill. Notably, the researchers found that exposure to two languages simultaneously during optimal periods of early development is conducive to successful acquisition because the open window for language development more readily streamlines and integrates the neuronal circuitry that serves the two languages. In other words, bilingual language exposure during an early age creates a foundation from which neuronal circuitry develops. In sequential bilingualism, on the other hand, the attempt to introduce a new language to an already created, working circuitry system proves less successful. Thus, it becomes clear that concurrent attainment of two languages during the sensitive early periods of a child’s development proves to be qualitatively more reliable, suggesting for more adapted parenting methods to best facility this early exposure.
In a related article, “Raising your children to learn many languages is hard - here’s why it’s worth it,” Mecking describes practical strategies to assist bilingualism attainment in children. Recognizing the benefits of fluency in two languages, Mecking first discusses one of the most traditionally accepted learning methods - the one-person, one-language (OPOL) method. With this approach, each parent of a child primarily speaks one respective language. However, Mecking proceeds to explain that this may not be the most ideal method for bilingualism attainment. She cites a study in which a substantial sample of bilingual children residing in Belgium were taught Flemish and Dutch using the OPOL method. Contrary to the hope ascribed to this learning method, however, only a fraction of the children demonstrated fluency in both languages. A different, more effective strategy, may be one in which children are exposed to the two languages in different settings. For example, a child may learn Flemish in domestic settings, such as the home, while learning the other language in more social settings, such as at school. Rather than exploiting competing neuronal circuitry systems in the OPOL method, the latter learning strategy allows the child to engage with a more enriched immersion of each language individually. This, then, allows for the child’s sensitive window of language development to make use of concurrently forming circuitry systems for each respective language in a more organized manner, which allows for more streamlined connections, than attempting to build circuitry simultaneously when exposed to both languages in the same situations and contexts. Although the exact ratio level of exposure, as well as during which precise times during development, is not yet well understood, Mecking’s article illuminates considerations that must necessarily be addressed when bridging the gap between the neural framework of bilingualism attainment and its practical cultivation.
As one who is bilingual in Polish and English, the findings presented by Berken et al. and the strategies examined by Mecking hold personal applicability to my own language development. Upon reflecting on my bilingualism attainment, I am led to provide greater credence to the findings of Berken et al., as well as sharing personal connections to Mecking’s article. My parents opted for the latter strategy Mecking discusses, through which I primarily learned Polish in my home and English at school. Recollecting my early childhood as much as possible, I recall leaning the most Polish from listening to conversations my parents held with one another. It was the primary language they spoke in our household, and being enriched in Polish conversation in such a manner allowed me to gain greater intuition in both structural and expressional intricacies of the language. For example, even when I do not know exactly how to say something in Polish, I have an inclination towards which option sounds the most likely. In agreement with Berken et al.’s findings, I have personal experience with the benefits the researchers cite regarding simultaneous acquisition of two languages. Notably, knowing English and Polish has made learning new languages significantly easier. By knowing the types of differences I can expect between two languages (e.g., that adjectives may be conjugated in one language but not another), I can more easily accept specific grammar rules of new languages that may seem more foreign to my peers. There is much left to be understood in the science of language acquisition, but the findings presented by Berken et al. and Mecking, coupled with my own experiences, provides me with ascribing greater salience to the importance of furthering this area of study.
References
Bennett, Rosemary. “Children with Two Languages Excel at School.” News | The Times, The Times, 11 Apr. 2017, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/children-with-two-languages-excel-at-school-sc8ftfsk8.
Berken, Jonathan A., et al. “Early Bilingualism, Language Attainment, and Brain Development.” Neuropsychologia, vol. 98, 2017, pp. 220–227., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.08.031.
Olga Mecking, Aeon. “Raising Your Children to Learn Many Languages Is Hard – Here's Why It's Worth It.” Scroll.in, Scroll.in, 5 June 2018, https://scroll.in/article/880841/raising-your-children-to-learn-many-languages-is-hard-heres-why-its-worth-it.
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