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Cited by 579Language Development and DisordersNeurobiology of Language and BilingualismChild and Animal Learning Development

Early bilingual development: one language or two?

Genesee, Fred·1989·Journal of Child Language
DOI 10.1017/s0305000900013490
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Abstract

It is commonly thought that children learning two languages simultaneously during infancy go through a stage when they cannot differentiate their two languages. Virtually all studies of infant bilingual development have found that bilingual children mix elements from their two languages. These results have been interpreted as evidence for a unitary, undifferentiated language system (the unitary language system hypothesis). The empirical basis for these claims is re-examined and it is argued that, contrary to most extant interpretations, bilingual children develop differentiated language systems from the beginning and are able to use their developing languages in contextually sensitive ways. A call for more serious attention to the possible role of parental input in the form of mixed utterances is made.

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Crossref · 10.1017/s0305000900013490

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Authors
Genesee, F.
Affiliations
McGill University (CA)
Corresponding author
Genesee, Fred
ORCID
Genesee, Fred
Venue
Journal of Child Language
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
1989-02
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
161-179
ISSN
  • 0305-0009 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-7602
DOI
10.1017/s0305000900013490
OpenAlex
W2157840032
Cited by
579
References
49
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 28
FWCI
3.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 7321 d)
Locations
  • Journal of Child Language (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
bilingual language acquisition, language differentiation, code-mixing, parental input, early language acquisition
MeSH terms
Child, Preschool, Humans, Imitative Behavior, Infant, Language, Language Development, Models, Psychological, Parent-Child Relations

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