Why Baby Brains Can Learn Two Languages at Same Time

By Naja Ferjan Ramirez, Research Scientist, University of Washington. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Any adult who has attempted to learn a foreign language can attest to how difficult and confusing it can be. So when a 3-year old growing up in a bilingual household inserts Spanish words into his English sentences, conventional wisdom assumes that he is confusing the two languages.  Research shows that this is not the case.  In fact, early childhood is the best possible time to learn a second language. Children who experience two languages from birth typically become native speakers of both, while adults often struggle with second language learning and rarely attain native-like fluency.  But the question remains: Is it confusing for babies to learn two languages simultaneously?

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