New research conducted by Christopher Fennell, assistant professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, and two of his colleagues at the University of British Columbia, finds that infants raised in bilingual homes learn two similar-sounding words in a laboratory task at a later age than babies raised in homes where only one language was spoken. Why is this? This difference is thought to be because bilingual babies need to devote their attention to the general associations between words and objects for a longer period, rather than focusing on detailed sound information.

The researchers sought to determine whether the demands of acquiring more sounds and words lead to differences in language development. The study revealed that bilingual infants follow a slightly different pattern from monolingual infants.

Dr. Christopher Fennell holds a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Systems and is an assistant professor for the University of British Columbia. He says that the importance of this research lies in the fact that very little research has been done with bilingual babies.

"Because of this, we know very little about how their language develops," Dr. Fennell says. "It is only through basic research with these babies that we will know what is 'normal' for bilinguals. By knowing what is normal for bilingual development, we can better identify when language problems occur for this population. Through this research, we know that it is normal for bilinguals to ignore the small sounds of words and learn words more holistically for a longer developmental period than monolinguals and that this probably had no negative impact of their language skills and, in fact, probably helps them to learn words quicker."

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.