The phenomenon of bilingualism is very widespread and a much discussed topic. In reading about it one finds out that there are numerous facets to be considered. While doing research work I wanted to concentrate on childhood bilingualism or “early bilingualism”. When doing so, I found out that I would have to specify my topic for the seminar paper, as even concerning only this part of bilingualism the material I found was overwhelming. My special interest then focused on the aspect of the acquisition of two mother tongues. How exactly does this acquisition take place? How does the child become bilingual? Is it really already in infancy that the child is aware of learning two separate languages or does this awareness rather develop in the process of growing up? Is there a general rule one can refer to when talking about the process of acquiring two mother tongues? These are questions I want to deal with in this paper and to which I will try to find answers.
As the acquisition of two mother tongues nowadays is seen as something positive I first want to have a look at the development of this general opinion. In the next section I want to employ some case studies to show the different strategies of bilingual education and compare them to each other in order to find out if there is a favourable one. Section Four then will deal with the question whether there is only one language system or separate language systems in “early bilingualism.” Finally I want to mention some sociolinguistic aspects referring to childhood bilingualism, such as what factors determine the language choice in children or the phenomenon of interference or code-switching, to be able to draw my own conclusions in section 6.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The acquisition of two mother tongues / cognitive and educational aspects of bilingualism during the times
2.1 The period of “detrimental effects”
2.2 The period of “neutral effects”
2.3 The period of “additive effects”
3. Strategies of bilingual education and their success shown by some case studies
3.1. One person - one language strategy
3.2. One language – one environment strategy
3.3 mixing
4. One or two language systems?
4.1 The unitary-language hypothesis
4.2. The separate or independent development theory
4.3 The manifestation of language awareness
5. Sociolinguistic aspects of bilingual education
5.1. Language choice in children
5.2 Reasons for interference or code-switching
5.2.1 Definition of interference
5.2.2 Definition of code-switching
5.2.3 Reasons for interference and code-switching
6. Conclusion
7. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper explores the phenomenon of early childhood bilingualism, specifically focusing on how children acquire two mother tongues simultaneously. The primary research objective is to investigate whether children develop language systems as a single fused entity or as distinct, independent systems, while evaluating the effectiveness of various educational strategies and the sociolinguistic factors that influence language choice and code-switching in children.
- Historical perspectives on the cognitive and educational impacts of bilingualism.
- Evaluation of common bilingual upbringing strategies, such as "one person – one language."
- Analysis of the "unitary-language hypothesis" versus the "separate development theory."
- Investigation of sociolinguistic determinants including language choice and code-switching.
- The role of language awareness and environmental factors in early childhood development.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. One person - one language strategy
Parents, who have different native languages but have certain knowledge of the language of the other parent as well often prefer to apply this strategy. For the most part the language of one parent is also the dominant language of the community the family lives in. The strategy, as the title already implies, consists of one parent speaking consistently his/her own language to the child from birth onwards. There are some cases in which the parents speak the same language to the child and e.g. the nurse speaks another language. In all cases however, one language can always be assigned to one special person. (Cf. Romaine 1995, 183 ff.)
The most famous case study based on this strategy is the one of Leopold examining the bilingual development of his daughter Hildegard. Leopold himself only addressed his daughter in German whereas his wife communicated with Hildegard only in English, the language of the community as Hildegard was born in the United States. What is interesting, is that the bilingual does not build up a vocabulary consisting of twice as much words as that of a monolingual. The reason can be found in the avoidance of equivalents. “The bilingual child’s capacity to produce new words is split between the two languages.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of early childhood bilingualism and sets the research questions regarding the acquisition of two mother tongues.
2. The acquisition of two mother tongues / cognitive and educational aspects of bilingualism during the times: This section details the historical evolution of scientific opinion on bilingualism, categorizing it into periods of detrimental, neutral, and additive effects.
3. Strategies of bilingual education and their success shown by some case studies: This chapter reviews common parenting strategies like "one person – one language" and "one language – one environment," assessing their efficacy through established case studies.
4. One or two language systems?: This section discusses the theoretical debate between the unitary-language hypothesis and the separate development theory, incorporating evidence from language awareness studies.
5. Sociolinguistic aspects of bilingual education: This chapter examines the external factors influencing language use in children, specifically exploring the mechanics and motivations behind language choice, interference, and code-switching.
6. Conclusion: This chapter summarizes findings, suggesting that the separate language hypothesis is most supported, and advocates for consistent language strategies in child-rearing.
7. Bibliography: This section provides a list of the academic sources used to support the claims and arguments throughout the paper.
Keywords
Bilingualism, Early Childhood, Language Acquisition, Mother Tongue, One Person One Language, Unitary-language Hypothesis, Separate Development Theory, Language Awareness, Sociolinguistics, Language Choice, Interference, Code-switching, Bilingual Education, Linguistic Development, Cognitive Effects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the acquisition of two mother tongues during early childhood, exploring how children navigate learning two languages simultaneously.
What are the central themes discussed in the study?
Key themes include historical attitudes toward bilingualism, educational strategies for parents, the psychological structure of language systems, and sociolinguistic triggers for language choice.
What is the main research question?
The research asks whether children begin with a single fused language system or possess separate linguistic systems from the start of development.
Which scientific methods are employed in this work?
The study relies on a comparative literature review, analyzing various existing case studies of bilingual children to draw conclusions about development models.
What topics are covered in the main section of the paper?
The main sections cover strategies for bilingual education, the debate on language system separation, and factors like interference and code-switching.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Important keywords include early bilingualism, language acquisition, code-switching, language awareness, and the one person-one language strategy.
How does the author define "interference"?
The author defines interference as the unintentional usage of one language while speaking another, often viewed as a temporary state in bilingual development.
Why is code-switching often used by children?
Children use code-switching for various purposes, including lack of vocabulary, emphasizing a point, or communicating a sense of belonging to specific social groups.
What does the "one person – one language" strategy entail?
It involves each parent consistently speaking only their respective native language to the child to help them associate languages with specific individuals.
What is the significance of "language awareness" in the paper?
Language awareness demonstrates that the child recognizes the distinctness of the languages they speak, which supports the theory of separate language development.
- Quote paper
- Bianca Sonnenschein (Author), 2003, The acquisition of two mother tongues - Early childhood bilingualism, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/78073
