Child Language Acquisition Monolingual vs. Bilingual: A Theoretical Analysis

Children acquire the language
of the community they grow in

Without coaching of parents,
children tend to acquire language
from their environment.

Children acquire language
that's "highly complex and
structured system compromising
several system."

Meaning: acquire two or more languages when
exposed to them as a very young child.

When exposed to them, children acquire
each of them like monolinguals.

Can be addressed as "two first languages" if
bilingual acquisition occurs during childhood.

Bilingual First Language Acquisition:

Meisel (1989) --> When children learn two languages
from birth.

De Houwer (2005) --> Children under age of six who
were exposed to two languages from birth and who
continued to hear these languages regularly.

Themes of "differentiating the two
languages" and "age of acquisition" arise.

Children acquire the language varieties they are exposed to.

Children go through similar stages in language acquisition.

Children need actual exposure to a language in use in order to develop a linguistic system.

Bilingual child is not a clone of two monolingual children.