Myths About Bilingualism

Some parents cling onto the false beliefs and myths that society has conjured about bilingualism and its effect on children. Some even go to the extreme, and avoid teaching their children a second language all together. Why rob a child of one of the greatest gifts you can offer them? Here are a couple of common bilingualism myths; debunked.

Children should learn a language completely first before starting to learn another - false! Old research backs up this claim and actually, children who learn two languages in a positive environment learn them both --- and well. But yet those who learn it in a stressful and negative environment will have linguistic difficulties between the two.

Bilingual individuals are schizophrenic, or have split personalities - this is also not correct. Yet some bilinguals do report feeling "differently" when speaking in another language, this is because they simultaneously are conforming to different cultural standards. The shift in language also causes a shift in the expectations and norms of that culture.

An additional language cannot be learned after young age --- which is a false statement. Though it is true that languages are easier to learn when one is young, however a language can be learned at any age. It is better to start a child off as bilingual than wait till later in life to introduce the 2^nd language to him, though it can be done.

Learning two languages is confusing and lowers children's IQ --- this is incorrect and based on obsolete research. The research conducted in the United States seems to indicate this since the bilingual children were immigrants with less knowledge of English. Bilinguals are actually better at linguistics and reading than their monolingual relatives.

Real bilinguals never blend their languages. Those who do are not real bilinguals --- false. Though sometimes bilinguals do tend to merge their languages, usually it is not because they are confused, but not being able to differ between the languages. "Code-switching" may happen often which is when grammar from another language is leaked into another. This does not turn out to be a severe problem.