The Cambridge Introduction to Applied Linguistics

Suppose you are the parent of a young child and you feel that your child’s language is not developing as rapidly or as well as that of your friend’s child of a similar age. What could be the reason? Is this a normal stage of development that your child is likely to outgrow, or is it a problem that will persist? Now suppose you are a parent in a similar situation, except your child is exposed to two languages on a regular basis. Is this a problem? Would it be better to limit the child to one language? These are the types of questions that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with children face almost every day. Distinguishing typical development from language impairment in young children is complicated enough – adding bilingualism to the mix brings a whole set of complicating factors.