Abstract:Some bilingual babies learn two languages at the same time. Is it a special case or does a baby generally has this potential? Neonates have general perception of human speech sounds. Six months later, infants exposed to a bilingual environment since birth still can do this while many of their monolingual peers already can not. Simultaneous bilingual infants can discriminate a native vowel while monolingual infants can not; however, training helps monolingual infants regain or keep their discrimination of some nonnative speech sounds. It shows that acquiring two languages simultaneously probably is a general potential possessed by most infants. Governments attach more importance to early childhood education and care. More and more infants are cared outside home by employed people. Social care may provide infants chances to be exposed to a second language if their families can not. Simultaneous bilinguals represent two languages at the same cerebral cortical areas, exactly the regions where monolinguals represent their native language. This makes them quite different from other bilingual groups who acquire two languages at different ages. There are ways based on sex hormones, brain structures and functions to help evaluate who is taking the risk acquiring two languages simultaneously in case being exposed to a second language impede the acquirement of the first language.
陈菊咏. 婴儿双语同时习得:特例还是潜能[J]. 教育生物学杂志, 2016, 4(4): 203-.
CHEN Juyong. Acquiring two languages simultaneously in infants: exception or potential. JOURNAL OF BIO-EDUCATION, 2016, 4(4): 203-.