Children exposed to two languages do not have delayed speech, it is simply one of the myths surrounding bilingualism. Here are the evidence-based facts.
- Bilingual children do not have delayed speech development more often or less often than other children. Even if the baby begins to pronounce words and sounds later, the reason is not their bilingual environment [1].
- By one year of age, most bilinguals say the words "mommy" and "daddy." By age two, they can utter short sentences. If a child says "I want agua," that counts as a correct sentence! [2].
- Mixing languages is normal. A two-year-old may say, "Mira, dog!" or something similar. Sometimes, children will add suffixes and prefixes from one language to words of the other. This tendency usually disappears by age two [2].
- Parents of bilingual children between the ages of two and three often think their children have a limited vocabulary. But if you count the words they say in both languages, they add up to the same amount of words single-language children the same age speak [1].
- Bilingual environments are good for development. Experiments show that bilingual children switch quickly between tasks while being able to hold attention. They are excellent at processing information and adapting to playtime changes [3]. These qualities may take a few years to manifest but will be useful throughout their lifetime.
