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Is it harder for a child to acquire two languages at once?.
There is no evidence to suggest that it's any harder for a child to acquire two languages than it is for the child to acquire one language. As long as people are regularly speaking with the child in both languages, the child will acquire them both easily. A child doesn't have to be exceptional or have any special language ability to become bilingual; as long as the child is exposed to two languages throughout early child- hood, he or she will acquire them both. .
Some people worry that learning more than one language is bad for a child, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, there are a lot of advantages to knowing more than one language. First, many linguists feel that knowing a second language actually benefits a child's cognitive development. Second, if the child comes from a family that has recently immigrated to the U.S., the family may speak a language other than English at home and may still have strong ties to their ethnic roots. In this case, being able to speak the language of the family's ethnic heritage may be important for the child's sense of cultural identity. To be unable to speak the family's language could make a child feet like an outsider within his or her own family; speaking the family's language gives the child a sense of identity and belonging. Third, in an increasingly global marketplace, it's an advantage for anyone to know more than one language - regardless of whether one's family is new to the U.S. And finally, for people of any age or profession, knowing a second language encourages cross-cultural awareness and understanding. .
Does bilingualism in America threaten the English language?.
English is in no danger of disappearing any time soon; it is firmly established both in America and in countries throughout the world. In fact, no language has ever held as strong a position in the world as English does today.
