When Do Bilingual Babies Start Talking?
Last Updated: August 17, 2024 This week on the Wee Talkers blog, we are joined by Molly Knutson, a bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist located in Ohio. We know you’ll love hearing from her, and that you’ll learn so much from what she shares. Thanks so much for being here, Molly!
Babies & Bilingualism
Is your family bilingual? You’re not alone! According to the Center for Immigration Studies, in 2018, 21.9% of Americans spoke a language other than English (Zeigler & Camarota, 2019). And, according to Statistics Canada, 14.2% of Canadians report speaking a language other than English or French at home!
Our bilingual population is growing every year, making bilingual language development as relevant and important a topic as ever! It seems like all over the world, no matter their home language, their culture, or their current country, parents have the same questions:
At what age do bilingual babies start talking?
How does bilingualism affect language development?
Does speaking two languages with a baby confuse them?
If this is you, don’t go anywhere! This blog post is chock-full of information on bilingualism for babies. It covers if you should speak two languages, tips for teaching your baby two languages, whether or not a second language will confuse or delay your child, and more. And, it lays out tons of research and references in case, like us, you’re the kind of parent who wants to know ALL the things. Let’s get into it!
The Benefits Of Bilingualism
First thing’s first: There are sooo many benefits to raising bilingual children. Don’t listen to the myths out there that might try to tell you otherwise! According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, some of these benefits include an increased ability to:
Learn new words
Read
Use information in new ways
Categorize information
Problem-solve
Listen
Connect to others
FAQ: Will Speaking In Two Languages Confuse My Child Or Cause A Delay?
Nope! There is no evidence to suggest that a bilingual environment will cause confusion (Kuhl, 2004; Conboy, 2012) or a language delay for your child. So go ahead, speak to them in both languages! And know you’re giving them such a gift as you do.
Related: Can Bilingualism Cause A Speech Delay?
FAQ: Is Bilingualism a Bad Idea for Children with Disabilities?
No, the idea that bilingualism is bad for children born with disabilities is false! In fact, research has demonstrated children with a variety of disabilities are capable of bilingualism.
Children with disabilities are capable of bilingualism, including:
Children with developmental language disorders (Kohners, 2008; Paradis et al., 2011)
Children with speech sound disorders (Gildersleeve-Neumann & Goldstein, 2012; Goldstein & Gildersleeve-Neumann, 2012)
Children who are deaf or hard of hearing (Guiberson, 2005, 2012; McConkey Robbins, Green, & Waltzman, 2004)
Children with Down Syndrome (Feltmate & Kay-Raining Bird, 2008; Kay-Raining Bird et al., 2005)
Autistic children (Petersen, Marinova-Todd, & Mirenda, 2012; Ohashi et al., 2012)
How Bilingualism Develops In Infants & Toddlers
Bilingual language speakers are a diverse population. They speak all different languages. They range from children to centenarians. They go from speaking conversationally to being full-on fluent. And, they get different amounts of exposure to the languages they speak. So every bilingual person is different—including bilingual babies!
Depending on the language use of their caregivers (you, your partner, your parent, a daycare teacher, or anyone else), and the language exposure they get in the community, through television, their siblings, and at school, your child might experience:
Simultaneous Bilingualism: Learning two languages as native languages at the same time, before the age of three; or
Sequential Bilingualism: Learning a second language after the age of three. (Which is also called “second language acquisition”.)
Developmental Milestones for Bilingual Children
Now, interestingly, while there is a lot of variation in bilingual language development, developmental milestones between monolingual and bilingual children are the same. That means we expect a typically developing bilingual baby and a typically developing monolingual baby to develop in much the same way.
FAQ: At What Age Do Bilingual Babies Talk?
Like monolingual babies, typically developing bilingual babies will babble around 6 months, say their first words around 12 months, have a minimum of 15 words in their vocabulary by 18 months, and combine words together around 24 months.
Developmental Differences Between Monolingual and Bilingual Babies (That Are 100% Normal)
Although we expect monolingual and bilingual baby and toddler language development to occur on more or less the same timeline, there are some differences in their speech and language development that we expect to see. If your child makes any of these language “mistakes” we wouldn’t worry about it. And you don’t have to either!
(As a reminder, speech is how we say sounds and words, and language is the words we use and how we use them to convey meaning!)
Normal Language Differences
#1 Vocabulary
A bilingual child’s vocabulary should be measured as a combined vocabulary of both languages. So words they know in both languages count! And, to count as a word, your child does not need to be able to say the same word in both languages. (It’s okay if they can say ‘perro’ but not ‘dog’.)
Also, you’ll want to think about both your bilingual child’s total vocabulary (number of words across both languages) and conceptual vocabulary (number of concepts, such as ‘leche’ and ‘milk’ is counted as one word).
#2 Grammar
Grammar differs between languages, so it’s normal if your child transfers grammatical rules from one language to another. For example, if your English language learner whose native language is Spanish says ‘dog big’ rather than ‘big dog’.
#3 Code Switching
A bilingual child may code switch, where two or more languages are mixed together in one phrase or sentence. This normal process of bilingual language development is not indicative of a language impairment (Petitto & Holowka, 2002).
Normal Speech Differences
We expect bilingual children to produce speech sounds (or articulations) that overlap between languages. So, an English language learner may make errors on phonemes (sounds) in English, and transfer sounds from one language to another (e.g. the English /r/ to Spanish trilled /r/). But as long as there’s no difficulty with sounds in their home language, there’s no reason to worry.
When To Seek A Bilingual Speech-Language Evaluation
If your bilingual child isn’t meeting speech and language developmental milestones, you should seek an evaluation from a bilingual speech-language pathologist or from a speech-language pathologist with an interpreter.
It’s really important to have your child assessed in both of their languages, as a true language delay or disorder will show up in both. If your child is only assessed in one language, it could look like their language skills are lower than they really are. And, English language learners can be misdiagnosed with language impairments if they are not evaluated in both languages!
How To Avoid Home or Minority Language Loss
By now, you know that bilingualism is a great idea for children. Now, how do we maintain it? Ideally, your bilingual child will make language gains across both languages throughout their lives. Unfortunately though, language loss is common as children gain proficiency in one language and exposure to your home language is reduced.
Here are some ways to avoid language loss and continue the development of your child’s home or minority language:
Have targeted conversations in your home language
Provide literacy experiences in your home language
Listen to music in your home language
Watch TV programs in your home language
Have your child participate in school language programs
Raising A Bilingual Child Is A Great Idea!
If you’re scrolled all the way down to the bottom or you’re still feeling worried, on the fence, or unsure about the myths that bilingualism negatively affects language development, here’s what we want you to know:
Developmental milestones between monolingual and bilingual children are the same
A bilingual home environment does not cause confusion or a language delay
Children with disabilities are totally capable of bilingualism
Raising your child in a bilingual home has so many advantages!
Worried Your Bilingual Child’s Language Development Is Behind?
#1 Download Our Free Language Milestones Checklist
Remember: A true language impairment in a bilingual child will manifest in both languages. If they just get a bit confused between their languages or carry over some sounds from one language to another, that’s no big deal. They just have a lot to figure out language-wise!
#2 See a Speech-Language Pathologist
If you notice that they’re behind on language development in both languages, book an evaluation with a bilingual speech therapist or a speech therapist with an interpreter, so you can get a full picture of your child’s skills.
References
Conboy, B. T. (2012). Language processing and production in infants and toddlers. In B. A. Goldstein (Ed), Bilingual language development and disorders in Spanish-English speakers (2nd ed., pp. 47–71). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes
Feltmate, K., & Kay-Raining Bird, E. (2008). Language learning in four bilingual children with DS: A detailed analysis of vocabulary and morphosyntax. Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, 32, 6–20.
Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. E., & Goldstein, B. A. (2012). Intervention for multilingual children with speech sound disorders. In S. McLeod and B. A. Goldstein (Eds.), Multilingual aspects of speech sound disorders in children. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Goldstein, B. A., & Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. E. (2012). Phonological development and disorders. In B. A. Goldstein (Ed.), Bilingual language development and disorders in Spanish-English speakers (2nd ed., pp. 285–309). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Gorman, B.K. (2019). Assessment and Communication Development of Bilingual Children [On Demand Webinar]. https://learningcenter.asha.org/diweb/catalog/item/id/2622635
Guiberson, M. (2005). Children with cochlear implants from bilingual families: Considerations for intervention and a case study. The Volta Review, 105(1), 29–39.
Guiberson, M. (2012). Survey of Spanish parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing: Decision making factors associated with communication modality and bilingualism. American Journal of Audiology. doi:10.1044/1059-0889(2012/12-0042)
Guiberson, M. (2013). Language Confusion in Bilingual Children. Bilingual Myth-Busters Series. American Speech-Language Hearing Association, 20(1), 5-14.
Kay-Raining Bird, E., Cleave, P. L., Trudeau, N., Thordardottir, E., Sutton, A., & Thorpe, A. (2005). The language abilities of bilingual children with DS. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 14, 187– 199.
Kohnert, K. (2008). Language disorders in bilingual children and adults. San Diego, CA: Plural.
Kuhl, P. K. (2004). Early language acquisition: Cracking the speech code. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(11), 831–841.
McConky Robbins, A., Green, J. E., & Waltzman, S. B. (2004). Bilingual oral language proficiency in children with cochlear implants. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 130(5), 644–647.
Paradis, J., Genesee, F., & Crago, M. B. (2011). Dual language development and disorders: A handbook on bilingualism and second language learning (2nd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Petitto, L. A., & Holowka, S. (2002). Evaluating attributions of delay and confusion in young bilinguals: Special insights from infants acquiring a signed and a spoken language. Sign Language Studies, 3(1), 4–33.
Zeigler, K. & Camarota, S.A. (2019). 67.3 Million in the United States Spoke a Foreign Language at Home in 2018. Center for Immigration Studies, Washington, DC.