The Effects Of Bilingualism On Communication
Written by: Nimra Khan / Speech / April 26, 2023 / 8 minutes read
Many of the adults I work with speak more than one language (and many speak more than two!). When a client’s concerns are centered around the languages that they know, usually the language system (i.e. grammar) and speech sounds that are associated with it are often the areas that are top of mind. However, there are many misconceptions about what is considered ‘normal’ in this development and what may constitute a concern, if any. I wanted to take a moment to provide some information about this and how you can think about your goals, if you are a bilingual or multilingual speaker.
In the research on bilingualism, the order and age at which we learn languages as children is an important factor. Simultaneous bilinguals are children who acquire both languages at the same time (typically before the age of 3). Sequential bilinguals learn a second language after the first language has already been learned (usually after the age of 3).
The effect of learning two languages is that a child learning two languages is slower in development of each language, compared to monolinguals in their development of one language. It does not take double the amount of time, but there is a slower development of vocabulary and grammar in each language. These eventually catch up, however, at the expected time. It can also be expected that there are different strengths in each language – for example, one might be used to speaking Spanish with family but have more school-based vocabulary for English due to using it most in school.
As a child, the language you hear the most is usually the fastest to develop. However, having more diverse vocabulary to hear and other complexities (i.e. not just watching ‘Dora’ to hear a few Spanish words and only simple sentences), will also impact how quickly this develops. Many bilingual clients I’ve worked with also express frustration regarding learning English in school, but not being able to feel as confident about their conversational skills. It’s good to consider that the academic style of learning a language is very different from the reality of speaking it every day, especially with native speakers. You have to juggle a lot of information at once (much faster than learning in-class), and take time to put together your answer. Depending on how proficient you are in English, this response time could be much longer or shorter.
Learning English from a native speaker will have an effect on your accent. Just as we discussed above that the quantity and quality of the language you hear will affect your proficiency, accent can be impacted as well. Accent involves the prosody (rhythm) and speech sounds themselves. I’ve heard from many clients that when they were learning English, their teacher had a different accent and this affected how they pronounced words as well, which they later tried to re-learn as they entered the workplace. This could be worthwhile to consider when trying to improve your grammar or accent as well – make time to listen to native speakers. Remember that language learning is best when it is an active process. Only listening will get you so far, but trying to use that information yourself (i.e. using words you hear to create your own sentences) will allow for more success. Read more about confident communication in the workplace HERE.
Feeling ‘slow’
I’ve had clients express that they feel like it takes them longer to think of responses, especially at work, and that this can be frustrating when compared to other colleagues (even colleagues who are also bilingual speakers). To this, I always ask client to consider that:
You may not know the language history of your co-worker – the age, quality and quantity of English that they learned. In addition, many adults have taken additional classes to practice their conversational skills, so this could be an additional benefit
If you aren’t fast in your responses, this likely means you need more practice outside of conversations to improve this – conversational level is just too difficult for the orchestra in your mind to do at this time. This can involve practicing conversation questions on your own (record your voice and try to repeat this to see if you can improve over time).
Overall, it’s important to keep in mind that there is nothing ‘wrong’ with you for feeling thing, but you will need to give yourself some additional practice or supports to help yourself improve.
If you feel you have difficulties with executive functions outside of this, read more HERE.
Not acquiring certain speech sounds
Many people have, over a few years being in an English-speaking environment, been able to combine any speech sounds but may still have a few that they struggle with. This can be dependent on the background of your first language, if there are many sounds that cross over with English or not. Again, there is nothing wrong with having a difference in accent. However, if you would like to have more knowledge on how to improve specific sounds and how to practice them, it could be worthwhile to then consult with an SLP.
Low vocabulary
This is another common concern, especially for my professional clients. The solution is similar to point #1 – that the information you need to process in the middle of a conversation is likely too fast for you, and you will need to slow down and practice on your own a bit more first. Try keeping a vocabulary list that you want to work on each day (it could even be 5 words), and make your own sentences or incorporate them into your work meetings to make this faster to do.
Through all of this information, it is important to consider that there can be even more variation than this in how others learn a language. In addition, it doesn’t take into account any mental health difficulties or anxieties that can make speaking more difficult. Read more about CBT in speech therapy HERE. If you are interested in targeting many areas of your communication, then our Communication Wellness Masterclass could be a good fit.
To speak with one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.