For Families / Raising a bilingual child
What’s normal, what’s a myth, and how to plan the languages in your home
If your family speaks Arabic and English, whether you live in an Arabic-speaking country or elsewhere, you’ve probably heard plenty of advice about it. Some of it from family, some from school, some from social media, and not all of it agrees.
This guide sorts out what the research says from what people say. It covers what’s normal for children growing up with two languages, how Arabic dialect and Standard Arabic fit in, and how to think through which languages to use at home. Our Family Language Planner can help with that last part.
There’s no single right way to raise a bilingual child. Families make it work in lots of different ways.
Test yourself
Tap each card to see what the research says.
Babies can tell their two languages apart from early on, and research shows no sign that two languages confuse them (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013).
Most bilingual children say their first words and put two words together at the same ages as other children (ASHA, 2008). They aren’t more likely to have language difficulties (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013).
Mixing languages is a normal part of growing up bilingual. Many fluent bilingual adults do it too (ASHA, n.d.-a; Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013).
In each language on its own, a bilingual child may know fewer words than a child who speaks only that language. Looking across both languages gives a fuller picture of what they know (Hoff et al., 2012).
Research hasn’t shown that using two languages adds to the difficulties of children with language difficulties, autism or Down syndrome. Families generally don’t need to stop using their home language (ASHA, n.d.-a; Kay-Raining Bird et al., 2016).
Children can learn two languages from birth, and starting early helps. It’s also never too late to add a language (ASHA, 2008; Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013).
“One parent, one language” is one option, but research shows it isn’t necessary for raising a bilingual child, and it doesn’t guarantee success on its own (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013; De Houwer, 2007).
Some children do. But home languages are lost more easily than the language of the wider community, especially once school starts. Children need chances to use a language, not just hear it (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013; Hoff, 2018).
Videos can introduce words, songs and expressions, but they don’t replace conversation. Young children learn language best from people who talk and respond to them. In one study, babies learned new speech sounds from a live speaker but not from the same speaker on video (Kuhl et al., 2003).
Development
Bilingual children reach the main milestones, like first words and putting words together, at around the same ages as other children (ASHA, 2008). Along the way, you might also notice the following, all of which are expected.
Your child might know “spoon” only in English and موز (banana) only in Arabic. How many words they know in each language depends on how much they hear it (Hoff et al., 2012).
Usually it’s the one they hear and use most. Which language is stronger can change over time, for example when your child starts school (ASHA, n.d.-a).
Using both languages in one sentence is normal (ASHA, n.d.-a).
Some children speak less when they first start somewhere a new language is used, like nursery, and listen more at first (ASHA, 2008). If your child stays silent in certain places, seems distressed, or also has difficulties in their home language, ask an SLP rather than assuming it’s part of being bilingual (ASHA, n.d.-b).
Sounds that come from one language carrying over into the other, or from your family’s dialect, aren’t speech errors (ASHA, n.d.-c).
Arabic diglossia
Arabic-speaking children grow up with two forms of Arabic. At home they speak a dialect, like Egyptian, Gulf or Levantine Arabic. Modern Standard Arabic, used in books, the news and formal settings, has some different sounds, words and grammar. Children may hear it in stories and cartoons before school, though how much varies a lot, and they usually learn to read and write it at school. This is called diglossia.
At home
Egyptian, Gulf, Levantine and more. The Arabic of everyday talk.
At school
Books, the news and formal settings. The Arabic of reading and writing.
This matters in two ways.
Some sounds are said differently in different dialects. For example, قلب (heart) might be “qalb,” “’alb” or “galb” depending on where a family is from. These are dialect differences, not speech errors (ASHA, n.d.-c). Learning the Standard Arabic version of a sound is a separate skill, and children often need teaching and practice with it. In one study of Arabic-speaking first graders, the Standard Arabic sounds children hadn’t yet mastered were all ones with dialect versions, and children said them more accurately when they heard a model first (Hamdan & Amayreh, 2007).
Learning to read in Standard Arabic means working with some sounds and words that differ from everyday speech. This can make early reading more demanding, and research has found the effect in typically developing children, not only those with difficulties (Saiegh-Haddad, 2003). How much it affects each child varies. Hearing Standard Arabic through stories and books before school can help it feel familiar.
Planning
Whatever approach you choose, these principles apply:
Many families combine these, and it’s fine to change your approach as your child grows.
Every family’s situation is different. Our free Family Language Planner asks six quick questions about where you live, who speaks what with your child, and which languages you’d like them to keep. It then shows where your child hears each language, which one may need more support, and which of these approaches could fit.
Try the Family Language Planner →Everyday habits
As children start school, they tend to use the community language more, and a home language can fade quickly (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013). A few habits help it hold on.
Meals, bath time, bedtime stories and car rides.
Time with grandparents, cousins and friends who mostly speak Arabic, especially other children, gives your child meaningful reasons to speak it (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013).
This builds vocabulary, and it also brings Standard Arabic into your child’s world before they meet it at school.
Arabic cartoons and songs can add exposure, but young children learn language best from people talking with them (Kuhl et al., 2003). Watching together and chatting about it helps more than watching alone.
Time in an Arabic-speaking place, where everyone around speaks Arabic, can give a big boost.
A common situation
This is very common, especially once school is in English. Understanding a language and speaking it are different skills, and many children understand a home language well while speaking it less. It means the understanding is there to build on.
If your child doesn’t seem to understand much in either language, or you have other concerns about their communication, ask an SLP.
Getting help
Being bilingual doesn’t make speech or language difficulties more likely, but bilingual children can have them, just like any child (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013). A developmental language difficulty generally affects a child’s ability to learn and use all their languages, though the signs may look different in each. That’s why an assessment should look at your child’s skills and experience across their languages (ASHA, n.d.-a).
If something about your child’s communication has been on your mind, it’s always fine to ask.
