Bilingual language development in infancy: What can we do to support bilingual families?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Bilingual language development in infancy: What can we do to support bilingual families?

AU - Fibla, Laia

AU - Kosie, Jessica

AU - Kircher, Ruth

AU - Lew-Williams, Casey

AU - Byers-Heinlein, Krista

PY - 2022/2/23

Y1 - 2022/2/23

N2 - Many infants and children around the world grow up exposed to two or more languages. Their success in learning each of their languages is a direct consequence of the quantity and quality of their everyday language experience, including at home, in daycare and preschools, and in the broader community context. Here, we discuss how research on early language learning can inform policies that promote successful bilingual development across the varied contexts in which infants and children live and learn. Throughout our discussions, we highlight that each individual child’s experience is unique. In fact, it seems that there are as many ways to grow up bilingual as there are bilingual children. To promote successful bilingual development, we need policies that acknowledge this variability and support frequent exposure to high- quality experience in each of a child’s languages.

AB - Many infants and children around the world grow up exposed to two or more languages. Their success in learning each of their languages is a direct consequence of the quantity and quality of their everyday language experience, including at home, in daycare and preschools, and in the broader community context. Here, we discuss how research on early language learning can inform policies that promote successful bilingual development across the varied contexts in which infants and children live and learn. Throughout our discussions, we highlight that each individual child’s experience is unique. In fact, it seems that there are as many ways to grow up bilingual as there are bilingual children. To promote successful bilingual development, we need policies that acknowledge this variability and support frequent exposure to high- quality experience in each of a child’s languages.

KW - bilingualism

KW - infancy

KW - language experience

KW - language input

KW - language outcomes

KW - children

KW - language acquisition

KW - dual language learners

KW - family language policy

U2 - 10.1177/23727322211069312

DO - 10.1177/23727322211069312

M3 - Article

SN - 2372-7330

VL - 9

SP - 35

EP - 43

JO - Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences

JF - Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences

IS - 1

ER -