Benefits of Different Languages for Brain Development
By Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D
Q:
Is there any scientific support for the idea that learning several
foreign languages in the first few years of life improve the brain and
learning?
We have a daughter-in-law taking her 1-year-old child to 4-5 language
classes (including Chinese) each week...Partly on the theory that
different languages strengthen different portions of the brain. So far,
he is one bright kid! And physically very able.
A:
Compared to adults, the child's brain is different in that it is a very
dynamic structure that is evolving. They are ready to learn any language
they hear as babies, but by six months of age, they start to specialise
in their native language. There are many benefits of being bilingual or
even multilingual and at 1 year of age, it is a perfect time to learn
many languages as the child's brain is able to master languages well
till about 4-5 years of age, when it slows down absorption of foreign
languages. This is why, as adults, we often find learning a new language
rather hard.
Therefore, your daughter-in-law is doing fine - especially since your
grandchild is a bright kid and physically very able. As long as the
child is also enjoying it and more importantly, capable of mastering it,
there is no reason not to further stretch his brain. There is enough
evidence of the benefits of multilingualism in studies done over the
years.
Some readings on multilingualism:
http://speakingintonguesfilm.info/brain/multilingualism-offers-benefits-to-the-brain-that-go-beyond-the-obvious/
http://www.multilingualliving.com/2010/05/01/the-benefits-of-multilingualism-full-article/
http://www.multilingualchildren.org/getting_started/pro_con.html (on
pros & cons of multilingualism)
Having said that, scientific evidence suggests bilingual and monolingual
kids have similar language development milestones; it appears that
children learning two languages do not experience delays in this regard
generally. So, that should not be a concern for kids with one language
ability. However, I would surely suggest more than one language for
kids, especially when they are below 5 years of age, and more so for
bright kids. Good luck!
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