Does Speaking Two Languages Cause Speech Delay? The Truth About Bilingualism and Language Development

Bilingualism Is a Superpower, Not a Setback

If your child is growing up hearing two languages, you may have heard some version of this advice:
"Maybe you should just speak English at home."
"Two languages might be confusing them."
"That's probably why they're not talking yet."

And if you've ever wondered whether speaking more than one language could be causing your child's speech or language delay, I want to reassure you:

Research does not support the idea that learning two languages causes speech or language delays.

In fact, bilingualism is a wonderful gift. It allows children to connect with more family members, participate in multiple cultures and communities, and communicate across languages. For many children, growing up bilingual is simply part of who they are and how they experience the world.

So let's clear up some of the confusion around bilingualism and language development.

Does Bilingualism Cause Speech or Language Delays?

No.

Learning two languages does not cause a child to develop a speech or language disorder.

Bilingual children may develop each of their languages differently depending on how much exposure they have to each language and where they use it. For example, a child might hear Spanish primarily at home and English primarily at daycare or school. They may know words related to family and home life in Spanish, while knowing more school-related words in English.

That does not necessarily mean they have a smaller vocabulary or a language delay. It means their language experience is distributed across two languages.

This is one of the most important things for parents to understand when thinking about bilingual language development.

My Child Knows More Words in One Language. Is That a Problem?

Not necessarily!

Imagine your child knows:

"Milk" in English
"Leche" in Spanish
"Dog" in English
"Perro" in Spanish
"Grandma" in English
"Abuela" in Spanish

If you only count the words your child says in English, you are missing part of their communication.

Bilingual children's vocabulary can be spread across both languages. They may also know the same concept in both languages. For example, they may know both "dog" and "perro."

This is why looking at only one language can give an incomplete picture of a bilingual child's overall language skills.

When evaluating a bilingual child, speech-language pathologists should consider the child's full linguistic profile, including their languages, language exposure, opportunities to use each language, and how they communicate with different people and across settings. We want to understand the whole child, not just count the words they know in English.

But What If My Bilingual Child Is a Late Talker?

This is where things can get a little more nuanced.

Bilingualism does not cause language delay, but bilingual children can absolutely have speech or language disorders, just like children who grow up with one language.

The key is that we don't want to automatically blame bilingualism for a child's difficulties.

If a child has a true underlying language disorder, we would expect to see signs of difficulty that cannot be explained simply by learning two languages. A bilingual child may have different levels of skill in each language, but that is not the same thing as having a developmental language disorder.

For example, a child may have difficulty learning new words, understanding language, combining words into sentences, or using grammar in ways that are concerning across their overall language development.

This is one reason bilingual children should be evaluated thoughtfully and, whenever possible, with consideration of both languages.

Should I Stop Speaking My Home Language?

Please don't feel like you have to stop speaking the language that comes naturally to you.

If Spanish is the language you feel most comfortable speaking with your child, speak Spanish.

If you speak Mandarin with your grandparents and English with your child, keep those meaningful interactions going.

If your family uses multiple languages throughout the day, that's okay, too!

Children benefit from having rich, meaningful opportunities to communicate with the people around them. The language you use to sing, read, tell stories, joke around, and have everyday conversations with your child is valuable.

Your home language is also connected to your child's family relationships, culture, and sense of belonging.

There is no need to sacrifice those connections out of fear that speaking another language will "confuse" your child.

What About Mixing Languages?

If your child uses words from both languages in the same sentence, you may hear this called code-switching.

For example:

"Mommy, quiero more juice."

Or:

"Look at the perro!"

This can be completely normal for bilingual speakers.

Children may move between languages based on the person they are speaking with, the topic of conversation, the words that come to mind most easily, or the language being used around them.

Using words from both languages does not automatically mean that a child is confused.

In fact, adults do this, too!

Think about how many bilingual adults naturally move between languages depending on who they're talking to. Language is flexible, and bilingual children are learning how to navigate multiple linguistic systems at the same time.

Bilingualism Is a Superpower. But What Does That Actually Mean?

I love thinking about bilingualism as a superpower, but not because speaking two languages automatically makes every child smarter or guarantees a specific cognitive advantage. The research on broad cognitive benefits of bilingualism is complex and not as clear-cut as it was once portrayed.

The real "superpower" is the ability to communicate and connect across languages and cultures.

A bilingual child may be able to:

Communicate with more family members
Connect with different communities
Participate in multiple cultures
Understand and appreciate different perspectives
Develop meaningful relationships across languages
Use different languages for different people, places, and situations

Those are incredible skills.

And bilingualism does not need to be something we "fix" or reduce when a child has a speech or language concern.

Instead, our job is to support the child's communication while respecting and valuing the languages that are meaningful to their family.

So, How Do I Know If My Child Needs Speech Therapy?

If you're concerned about your child's communication, don't feel like you have to choose between supporting your home language and seeking help.

You can do both.

A speech-language pathologist can help you look at the bigger picture, including:

What your child understands
How they communicate their wants and needs
How they use gestures and nonverbal communication
Their vocabulary across their languages
How they combine words
Their ability to understand and use sentences
Their social communication
Their speech sound development
Their language exposure and opportunities to communicate

For bilingual children, assessment can be more complex than simply giving an English language test and comparing the results to monolingual English-speaking children. A comprehensive evaluation should take the child's linguistic background and language experiences into account.

The Bottom Line

Speaking two languages does not cause speech or language delays.

If your child is learning two languages, you do not need to choose one language out of fear that you're confusing them. Your child can learn and communicate in multiple languages, and those languages can be an important part of their relationships, culture, and identity.

If your child is having difficulty communicating, the answer isn't necessarily to remove a language.

Instead, let's look at the whole child.

At Speech on the Slope, we believe that every child's communication journey is unique. If you're wondering whether your bilingual child's speech and language skills are developing as expected, we're here to help you understand what you're seeing and determine whether an evaluation or additional support may be helpful.

Concerned about your child's speech or language development? Reach out to schedule a free consultation. We're happy to talk through your concerns and help you figure out the next step!