Level of proficiency

The Endless Journey of Language Learning

The prevailing misconception surrounding the concept of "multilingualism" often places a heavy burden on both children and adults alike. 

It falsely suggests that individuals who speak multiple languages must possess an exceptional level of proficiency in each one. 

This misguided belief significantly impacts young children, influencing their language choices and behaviors. Consequently, children often find themselves speaking less of their minority or second languages, inadvertently creating a divide between their familial heritage or cultural background. This burden is particularly evident during childhood, as societal expectations shape their linguistic identity and affect their connection to a specific side of their family or culture. Unfortunately, this misconception also puts immense pressure on parents raising multilingual children.

Many parents feel they have only made progress if their child achieves equal fluency in all languages.

However, it is essential to remember that acquiring two or more languages never occurs under the same circumstances. Languages are learned at different stages in life, in various locations, and are used within different communities and for diverse purposes. Therefore, it is natural for the language skills of multilingual children to vary in proficiency. Language learning is an ongoing journey without a predetermined endpoint, even for adults who continuously acquire new words throughout their lives and may expand or reduce their language knowledge based on their needs and usage.

Here are some findings from research on multilingualism:

1. Age of Acquisition: Studies have shown that the earlier a language is learned, the higher the proficiency generally is, particularly in terms of pronunciation and grammar.
2. Use-It-Or-Lose-It: Like many skills, language proficiency tends to deteriorate if not used regularly. This is especially true for languages learned later in life.
3. Dynamic Proficiency: Language proficiency is not static. A speaker’s proficiency in a language can change over time depending on their exposure to and use of the language. This phenomenon is referred to as 'dynamic multilingualism'.
4. Balanced Multilingualism: Proficiency in all languages at the same level (also known as balanced bilingualism or multilingualism) is relatively rare. Usually, one language (the dominant language) is stronger than the others.
5. Third Language Acquisition: The skills and knowledge acquired during the learning of a second language can positively affect the learning of a third language.

For more 👉 Multilingual education

Resources

Handbook of Multilingualism and Multilingual Communication by Li Wei, Peter Auer

Research in this field is ongoing and always evolving. Some specific journals that often publish research on this topic include:

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

International Journal of Applied Linguistics

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition