Can Children Learn Two Languages at The Same Time?
Learning two languages at the same time is possible. The truth is, there used to be a lot of myths about this. But with each passing day there are fewer.
It has been proven that children have no difficulty learning two languages at the same time. And contrary to popular belief, the sooner they start, the easier the learning process will be.
In fact, it is considered that children have an easier time than adults when it comes to assimilating new ideas and, of course, new languages. Therefore, up to 8 years of age, learning is a very intuitive process in which the effort that the little ones need to make is minimal.
However, there are still parents who are reluctant to believe that this can happen and needlessly complicate themselves. On the other hand, others think that the ideal is to include language learning early in children’s lives to ensure that they have more tools when it comes to communicating.
Can children learn two languages at the same time?
The answer is yes. Children can learn two languages at the same time. Especially when it comes to children with parents who have different mother tongues.
The sooner children are familiar with both languages, the more spontaneous the result will be and the less difficulties children will have in the process.
We must remember that children’s brains work like a sponge. Her brain is able to easily understand and absorb concepts, which facilitates the learning process in general.
On the other hand, your ears are able to capture all the subtleties (intonations, cadences, modes of articulation, etc.) of different languages, at the phonological level, which is excellent for developing a correct pronunciation.
Research carried out in 1977 by scientists at the Memorial Hospital Sloan Kettering, in New York, concluded that a child is able to simultaneously memorize two or more languages in the same region of the cerebral cortex.
To do this, they use the same neurons. Unlike adults who store knowledge in different areas of the brain.
The advantages of linguistic diversity
Monolingual children will have more limitations in the long run . Mainly because they will have to learn, at some point in their lives, another language to be able to act in different areas. This is not just limited to the educational scope.
Nowadays, the ideal is not to waste the opportunity to offer knowledge from childhood to make life easier for the little ones in the long run. After all, if it’s easier to learn in childhood than in adulthood, why not encourage it right now?
A bilingual or polyglot child will find it much easier in the future to develop in the social sphere. On the other hand, knowing how to speak several languages facilitates access to workstations. Just an example of the long-term benefits.
Suggestions
To make a child bilingual, it is necessary for parents to communicate in both languages, both at home and in relation to everything that is included in everyday life.
For example, if the father is Italian, he should try to talk to his children in Italian from an early age to favor the acquisition process. At the same time, if the mother is English, she should also converse with her children in English with the same ease.
There are cases where both parents have the same mother tongue but learned other languages at some point in their lives. The ideal recommendation is to constantly practice these languages, just as in the previous case. In this way, children will listen and gain greater fluency in languages over time.
Also, it is necessary to avoid translation. In other words, it is necessary to avoid resorting to translation as the primary method of learning. For example, “Window is window in English” does not provide complete information that promotes intellectual skills.
On the contrary, if we explain the concepts to children in their own language, the result will be much more satisfactory, as they will be able to understand and describe in that language, and will not be limited to just knowing the equivalent term.
