The Language Experiment

6 common myths about bilingualism & multilingualism busted

• Camillo Lakiss and Kaisa Martiskainen • Season 1 • Episode 7

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007 - In this episode, we are on a mission to bust common myths surrounding raising bilingual and multilingual children. Get ready to challenge conventional wisdom and embrace the power of language diversity!

🧠 Myth #1: "It's too late to start learning a language after a certain age." False! Discover why age is just a number when it comes to language acquisition, and how anyone, at any age, can become multilingual!

💬 Myth #2: "Bilingualism causes language confusion and delays." Not true! Uncover the cognitive and social benefits that bilingualism brings, and why children raised in multilingual environments thrive!

💪 Myth #3: "Children can only be bilingual if their parents are native speakers." Let's debunk this misconception! Find out how fluent parents can successfully teach languages to their little ones and nurture their linguistic journey!

📚 Myth #4: "Bilingual kids will struggle academically." We're breaking down this myth with evidence! Discover how being bilingual provides cognitive advantages and enriches academic performance.

💬 Myth #5: "It's better to teach one language at a time." While simultaneous bilingualism has its perks, we're shedding light on why sequential bilingualism is equally effective, depending on your unique family situation!

🌟 Myth #6: "Being bilingual means being fluent in all languages." Not necessarily! Learn about the different stages of bilingualism and why each one is valuable on the language journey.

Read more about the different types of bilingualism here: https://linguisttoday.com/all-the-types-of-bilingualism-listed-down-and-explained/?amp=1

Join us as we navigate through these language myths and explore the true wonders of multilingualism!

🎧 Tune in now, let's bust those myths together!

Subscribe to our feed and follow us on all podcast platforms. Reach out to us with your questions and topic suggestions. Let's build a community together!

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Kaisa:

Hello everyone. Welcome back to the Language experiment.

Camillo:

Hello everyone. Good to see you here.

Kaisa:

Good to have you. we have received some feedback from a listener, which we are excited to share with you. We got a message from Ben who was born and raised in Australia. His parents immigrated from Hong Kong to Australia before he was born, which means that he grew up speaking English and Cantonese. And for the past, 15 plus years, Ben has been living in Finland and he's married to a fin and they have a two year old son Together. Ben speaks English to his son and his wife and his son goes to a Finnish daycare and speaks Finnish with his mom. Ben listened to our episode where we talked about the four different language strategies, and he writes, you've inspired me to teach Cantonese to my son in addition to English. I'm going to be using the time and place method for this and implemented into my week somehow more routinely. I feel so uplifted and happy about it because I was always sad that I was going to forfeit Cantonese, but it doesn't have to be that way. Thanks again for your podcast. Thank you, Ben. for being one of our first listeners and to reach out to us. Yeah, he was the first one to have the courage to email us.

Camillo:

Yeah, that's true. So, and there is someone out there listening to us.

Kaisa:

That's good. It's not just two of us that's awesome.

Camillo:

All right, and in today's episode, we are going to talk common myths about multilingualism. Basically, there are many misconceptions and myths surrounding the process of teaching a child multiple languages. Almost every parent raised in bilingual or multilingual children has encountered these myths in one way or another. Most commonly, as a comment of piece of advice from someone, these myths are harmful because they can discourage people from raising their children multilingual, and most of them are just claims. They are not supported by any scientific research, which is scary, but Kaisa. Why do you think there are so many of those myths?

Kaisa:

Yeah, that's a good question. I'm not really sure, but based on all the research that I've been doing online on, based on my research, on the research of bilingualism and multilingualism, it seems that some time between the fifties and the seventies, who knows? Maybe even after that, but especially around that time. there were some studies done on bilingualism multilingualism, and they weren't particularly favorable. And I guess that is how the, how the scientific research world works that around at some point, some research comes out and maybe those claims are debunked later, and that is largely what has happened with most of that research. They have more recently found that bilingualism and multilingualism are actually very beneficial. but somehow, that research or what came out of that research, still lives in the minds of people. and that's why it keeps popping up. That's surely just one of the reasons. I'm sure there are others.

Camillo:

Absolutely. And that's why we are here today. We need to talk about these myths shall we?

Kaisa:

Let's do it.

Camillo:

Perfect. Myth number one. It is too late to start teaching a child a second language after age X. All right. Most of us have heard about the critical period for language acquisition, which suggests that we can't really master a new language once we hit a certain age. But guess what? Researchers cannot agree. On when this critical period actually happens. Some will say it's around age five, while others argue it's closer to age 15. Regardless of the disagreement, one thing they do agree on is that the earlier you start the better. And that's because as we grow older, There is a gradual decline in our ability to learn languages both biologically and environmentally. Biologically. Our brains go through changes during the first couple of decades of life, making it harder for us to grasp the intricacies of language as we get older. it is like our brains are more open to learning languages in our early years. But let's not forget about the environment too. In many cultures and families, young kids are surrounded by a language rich environment from day one. They're exposed to language that is tailored to their age level. Neither. They're too easy, nor too difficult. They get tons of practice every single day, and they're truly immersed, which helps them grasp the language in a different way.

Kaisa:

Mm-hmm. The things can be a bit different when it comes to learning a language later in life. Older kids and adults, usually don't have as much time to dedicate to language learning, and they miss out on the advantage of fun and constant one-on-one interaction with native speakers. Instead, they often find themselves in classrooms where words are defined and grammar is explained. sure these methods can be effective, but they don't have the same power as discovering language organically from the ground up like kids do. if you've ever wondered why it seems easier for children to pick up languages with almost no effort, now you have your answer. It is a combination of biology and the environment. Don't worry, while starting to learn a new language early on in life can give you a headstart. It's never too late to start learning a second language or a third or a fourth. And, I guess we're also examples of that.

Camillo:

Yeah, I, I started learning French when I was 28 years old, and these days I'm fluent.

Kaisa:

There you go.

Camillo:

it's totally doable.

Kaisa:

Mm-hmm. Then we have myth number two, bilingualism and multilingualism cause language, confusion and delays. the common myth that bilingualism causes language, confusion and delays is actually not supported by scientific evidence. In reality, both bilingualism and multilingualism offer a lot of benefits, and they don't hinder language development. Bilingual and multilingual individuals develop separate language systems in their brains for each language they speak, and that allows them to effortlessly switch between languages depending on the context. Okay. Research has shown that bilingualism is associated with cognitive advantages like we've mentioned earlier on this podcast, such as improved executive functions, and this is something that comes actually from the need to manage and switch between languages. Bilingual children typically reach language development milestones at similar ages to monolingual children. For others, it might seem like they are progressing slower with their language development. So if a child has multiple languages going on, It might seem that they are actually a little bit slower. But again, research has shown that when the total number of words a multilingual child knows per language is calculated, they will be more or less at the same level as their monolingual peers.

Camillo:

And I've seen that happening, in. Discussions online in different forums. It's Facebook conversations. I even read ITT where people were concerned about their children not reaching certain milestone on word count. And a lot of it comes from the fact that people, they expect a certain number of words. In one language and they forget to understand that if a kid speaks three languages and he knows the word for car in all these three languages, they are different words. So they do know three different words. For some people that are concerned about the counting, sometimes they count that as one word. Oh, they know car. It's one word. No. They know one object and that object, they know three different words for that. So you should count the number of words that they speak in all the language that they know. And this has nothing to do with confusion, delays, in fact, early exposure. To multiple language does not cause language confusion or delays. The earlier the children are exposed to different languages, the more likely they are to become proficient in both. Something that people often mistake as confusion's actually called cold switching, which is basically the practice of alternating between two languages and the conversation. It is a common phenomenon among multilinguals and a natural and sophisticated linguistic skill. it is quite the opposite of what people actually think. Young children, for example, who are learning multiple language they do this often because sometimes a word in one language just happens to be more available to them in the other language that they know. But as a parent, just be careful with that because for some parents, they start get concerned. So please do not be concerned since this is , part of the language development process. Any perceived language delay in bilingual or multilingual children is more likely due to individual differences in their language learning environments or other factors unrelated to bilingualism or multilingualism itself.

Kaisa:

Then we get to myth number three. Children can only become bilingual or multilingual if they have a parent who is a native speaker of that language. there are many parents who choose to speak a language to their child that is not their native one, but that they are fluent in. Of course, it could be a bit challenging to raise a child in a language that you don't know at all. There are even some parents who choose to speak a heritage language to their child, which is a language that their parents or family spoke, but they themselves did not grow up speaking. This is also doable, but it will require a bit more effort from the parent as they will have to brush up on their language skills. The good thing is that they have a headstart of several years if they start when the child is born, because for the first years of life, the communication between a child and a parent will be more on the simpler side. There's also no scientific evidence to back up the claim that Multilinguals can only be successfully raised by native speakers, but rather that children raised by fluent speakers reap the exact same benefits , as the ones raised by native speakers.

Camillo:

Now, myth number four. Children who are raised bilingual or multilingual will struggle academically. All right. This one is, at least personally, I find it really concerning. And why not say dangerous for the kids? And by danger, I mean if you are attached to this myth, you might actually prevent your kid to have that head start on learning, different language. So it is certainly a myth. That children raised in bilingual or multilingual environments will struggle academically. In fact, research consistently demonstrates that being bilingual or multilingual offer several cognitive linguistic and social advantages that contribute positively to academic performance. And again, We talked about it in previous episodes. You do have several cognitive, linguistic and social advantages. It's there, you have research backing this up. Bilingual children often exhibit enhanced cognitive abilities, including improved problem solving skills, attentional control, and cognitive flexibility. These advantages can benefit their academic performance across various subjects. Language skills, transfer between the language a child speaks leading to a broader vocabulary and deeper understanding of grammar and language structures. These language skills can be an advantage in language arts and literacy related subjects.

Kaisa:

Multilingualism also provides exposure to different cultures and perspectives, which leads to greater cultural understanding and even empathy. This exposure can enrich a child's learning experience and help them connect with diverse classmates and teachers. Okay. Bilingual and multilingual children tend to develop a better ability to think about and analyze language, which can lead to improved reading comprehension and language analysis skills. Bilingual and multilingual children are also often better equipped to adapt to new learning environments, handle challenges, and like we mentioned earlier, embrace diversity, contributing to their academic flexibility and resilience. All of this is to stay that. Anyone can struggle academically whether they are monoa or multilingual, but there is absolutely no evidence that multilingual children would struggle because they are multilingual.

Camillo:

That's it, folks. Please be careful with the myth number four. Let's go to myth number five. Now. It is better to teach one language at a time rather than multiple language simultaneously. This is a myth because research indicates that it's more advantageous to learn two languages early on in life bilinguals who learn two language from birth. Are referred to as simultaneous bilinguals, and those who learn a first language followed by a second language, whether as toddlers or adults, are referred to as sequential Bilinguals in the evidence points to fairly robust advantages for simultaneous bilinguals relative to sequential bilinguals. They tend to have better accents, more diversified vocabulary, higher grammatical proficiency, and greatest skill in real time language processing. So purely from the language acquisition perspective, it seems that it is in fact better to learn two languages simultaneously.

Kaisa:

However, I think there are two different ways of looking at this. So is it always better to teach two or more languages simultaneously? I would say not necessarily the environment and the specific situation. That, of that family should be taken into consideration. So let's say that there's a family where mom speaks Danish, dad speaks Arabic, and the family lives in Holland, where Dutch is the community language, does it make sense to, for the child to learn two languages? At home at the same time. So Danish and Arabic, absolutely, because the goal is for the child to get an equal amount of exposure for those two languages. If one of the languages would only be spoken later, then that language might be at a disadvantage and it would be harder for it to catch up with the language that the child started learning earlier. Let's imagine another family where both parents speak German, but they live in the US where the community language is English. Does it make sense for one of the parents to speak German and the other one to speak so that the child already knows English before they start daycare or school? Not necessarily, in my opinion, this could put the minority language. German at a disadvantage later as children who go to daycare or school where the community language is spoken, tend to develop really well in that language, even if it's not spoken at home. So of course they could speak two languages to the child, but it would later result in more exposure to the community language. A third example would be a family that lives in South Korea and both parents speak Korean. If one of the parents can speak English fluently, would it make sense for that parents to speak it to their child? Why not? Everything depends on each family's unique situation and their personal preferences. So yes, there are advantages of learning multiple languages at the same time, but not in every case. So be mindful of balancing the exposure between the different languages,

Camillo:

and we get to myth number six. Being bilingual or multilingual means that you are fully fluent in all the languages. That will divide the room right now, and this might be surprising to many, but bilingualism actually comes with its own set of subcategories. These subcategories are also relevant for multilingualism because they describe the relationship between two languages and how they're learned in relation to one another. These subcategories depend on when a person learns the second language, as well as what are the effects and abilities after acquiring the other languages. There are bilinguals who have strong skills in both of these languages, and there are individuals who cannot actively use one of them. Let's list the types of bilingualism, they are additive, sub subtractive, receptive, subordinate, compound, coordinate. Simultaneous and sequential.

Kaisa:

That's quite the list,

Camillo:

right? Why don't you start with. The first one.

Kaisa:

Sure. additive bilingualism, what does it actually mean? additive bilingualism is when the learner, usually a child, learns the second language while reinforcing their first language. a typical example is a child who immigrated with family to a foreign country and will learn one language at home while speaking another language at school. with additive bilingualism, the second language, is not weakening the first one as they are both being reinforced, but just in different places.

Camillo:

The second one is sub subtractive bilingualism, and this type of bilingualism, Happens when a child learns a second language without reinforcing the first one, and this way the child might lose some of the knowledge of the first language. And this could happen if the family use the community language instead of reinforcing their heritage language or languages at home, for example.

Kaisa:

Yeah. Then next we have receptive bilingualism. This type of bilingualism refers to individuals who understand a second language but cannot actively use it is also called passive bilingualism. This bilingualism is typical for people who, for some years lived in a different country when growing up, for example, but didn't manage to maintain the language at an active level.

Camillo:

The next one, subordinate bilingualism, and this is a kind of bilingualism referring mostly to adults learning a second language. They have a one strong language. Remember we're talking about adults, mostly their mono tongue, and they learn a second language through their first language, basically. In other words, the second language, it's not separated from the first one. Learners use the mother tongue to understand the second language. It's the famous you, you listen to something you're translating in your head. You speak on the language that the conversation is, is being, conducted.

Kaisa:

Exactly.

Camillo:

Eventually the goal would be to you do not translate anymore, but that would be subordinate, bilingualism.

Kaisa:

Then we have compound bilingualism, and it refers to learning two languages in the same context. That means both languages are used at home or at school. A typical example, would be a child of bilingual parents. This child will learn vocabulary and grammar at the same time, and hence, there will always be one thing, having two verbal expressions. Kids later distinguish between the languages, but the languages will always, be somehow connected.

Camillo:

And that takes us to coordinate bilingualism. Coordinate bilingualism means learning each language in a separate environment as an example, one language at home, another one at school. In this case, the child keeps languages separated in their mind and usually doesn't switch between them while speaking in earlier years.

Kaisa:

Then we have simultaneous bilingualism, which we already mentioned earlier. it means when a child is learning two languages at the same time and actually additional. in addition to that, they should be learning those two languages two or more, before the age of three. So this way the languages overlap and create kind of a mixture that is later going to be separated into two or more languages.

Camillo:

And the last one, sequential bilingualism. Sequential bilingualism. It's also called successive, is when a child learns a second language after acquiring the first one. Basically, as you can see, bilingualism and multilingualism are much more nuanced than most people think. Most of these subcategories are also not fixed states, but can evolve and be as diverse as the people who belong to them, which is beautiful.

Kaisa:

Mm-hmm. And I, I think definitely one of these, which is the. Receptive bilingualism or passive bilingualism. So this is, this is something that many people probably don't consider as bilingualism. So someone who can understand a language but maybe can't express themselves. They will, they will not consider themselves bilingual, but in fact they are considered that way based on, based on these categories while fluency seems to be considered as this high level of knowing and being able to communicate in a language, bilingualism or multilingualism can have so many different levels, and it doesn't, take away from people's. Bilingualism or multilingualism, just because they're not fluent in all of them. That's the most important point.

Camillo:

You touched a really interesting topic right now, because we're talking about learning languages, we're talking about kids learning languages, and for sure we want, parents, learning the language of their spouses and, and so forth. But learning the language will include you learning the grammar, you learning, vocabulary and so forth. This is the language itself. Communicating. It's something completely different and communication, you being bilingual, it's way more related to the ability to communicate. Then simply know the grammar of that language. this is really important for, to everyone that is listening to this right now, if you, especially if you are, let's say, a, receptive, bilingual person, do not think that you are not a bilingual person. You are, as you can see here, based on, on the categories that we just listed. If this is something that is actually making you, let's say, shy to try to or feel self-conscious Exactly. Try to try to work on it. And it's normal. It's, it's just a matter of get back to that language because you do have the tools and you can, let's say, half communicate you understand the language, you understand what has been said. It's just a matter of putting out there again.

Kaisa:

I agree and also, Everyone who, goes through the process of learning a language will be at that stage on their journey at some point. So everyone will be in this passive state, which is the state where you can already understand everything, but you can't communicate yet. And you can understand on that level, or you can, you can move forward. But it does not mean that you are not on your way there or that. You are not already bilingual

Camillo:

what can we conclude from today's episode?

Kaisa:

I'd say that myths about multilingualism have been around for a for a long time, and while we might not be able to make them disappear, at least yet, We can at least look at them with a critical eye. not all comments from people should be taken seriously, especially if they are not experts, like a speech pathologist or a pediatrician who specializes in bilingual or multilingual children.

Camillo:

And even if an expert asked you to do something that doesn't make sense to you or you are not comfortable with, you should ask follow up questions and you could even get a second opinion because when it comes to linguistic matters, it's actually a good idea to do your own research rather than taking some random person's advice. There is a lot of research on bilingualism and multilingualism that is readily available online to all of you out there,

Kaisa:

thanks for listening everyone.

Camillo:

Thank you for listening. And you know what, why don't you do like Ben, and tell us why do you think so many of these myths are out there still to this day and if you liked the list of all the types of bilingualism that there are out there, would you like us to do an episode dedicated to only this? Let us know. Reach out to us on Instagram or via email all the links are on the show notes and thanks for listening to us.

Kaisa:

Thanks everyone. Take care. See you in the next episode.

Camillo:

Bye-bye.

People on this episode

Contributor

Camillo Lakiss

Host
Contributor

Kaisa Martiskainen

Host