There has always been a common view that the number of languages that children learn, whether through natural exposure or educational intervention, affects their development. It was hypothesized that these effects could be detrimental. Even now, after about 50 years of research in this area, parents are still concerned about their children’s development when it involves a bilingual experience. Recent research has shown that although parents were right that speaking more than one language has effects, the hypothesis about the nature of these effects is not correct. The result of this experience is actually the opposite of what many early researchers claimed and what many contemporary parents intuitively believe. Contrary to early warnings about negative effects, bilingualism is now recognized as an experience that enhances many aspects of children’s development.
According to Bialystok’s research (2010), although delays in acquiring some formal aspects of each language, such as vocabulary, have been documented, bilingualism has no effect on development or (intelligence) or has positive effects (metalinguistic awareness, cognitive development). As such, bilingual children enjoy several benefits that can aid their metalinguistic and cognitive development.
Benefits of bilingualism for children
Bilingualism enhances metalinguistic awareness. Metalinguistic awareness refers to the ability to understand and analyze the structure of languages and use them in various contexts. Bilingual children, due to their familiarity with two language systems, have a greater ability to analyze and understand languages. In addition, bilingualism helps the cognitive development of children. Bilingual children usually have a higher ability to solve problems, think critically, and have mental flexibility. These children develop more advanced cognitive skills due to interacting with two different languages, which can be effective in their daily lives and education. According to research findings, bilingualism is not only not harmful to children, but also has positive effects on their development. Parents can more confidently expose their children to learning different languages and benefit from this experience. In this way, bilingualism is recognized as an opportunity to improve children’s cognitive development and metalinguistic awareness, and parents can safely choose this path for their children.
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