The older the better? The complex role of age of bilingualism for native language acquisition and maintenance
It is widely assumed that all children will fully learn the language that their parents use with them, and that this knowledge will remain stable for the rest of their lives. Recent research has shown, however, that both children and adults who frequently use a language other than their first “home” language (bilinguals) often do so in a way that is less complex and less accurate than speakers of only one language (monolinguals).
However, it is poorly understood what drives variability in first language proficiency. For example, why does one sibling from the same immigrant family end up speaking their parents’ language perfectly while another can barely comprehend it? And why does one immigrant remain fluent after decades in a country while another fumbles for words and has a marked foreign accent much earlier? Intuitively, it would seem that this will depend on a range of factors, for instance, how old the speakers were when they became bilingual, how long they have lived in another country, how often they use their first language, and how they feel about their language and culture of origin. However, these factors work together in ways that are not straightforward. In this study, the researchers attempted to better understand what contributes to the success of home language acquisition and maintenance, with the goals of supporting bilinguals and their families and developing a more accurate model of bilingual development.
Researchers: Monika S. Schmid, Tuğba Karayayla
This text was taken from OASIS: Schmid, M. S., & Karayayla, T. (2019). The older the better? The complex role of age of bilingualism for native language acquisition and maintenance. OASIS Summary of Schmid & Karayayla in Language Learning. https://oasis-database.org
Research paper: Schmid, M. S., & Karayayla, T. (2019). The roles of age, attitude, and use in first language development and attrition of Turkish–English bilinguals. Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12361