A child growing up in a bilingual Spanish/English environment
A) knows more words overall but fewer in each language.
B) knows fewer words overall, leading to lower school performance.
C) learns each language more slowly than a monolingual child.
D) experiences a long-term lag in acquisition of dominant language skills.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A child growing up in a bilingual Spanish/English environment tends to have a larger vocabulary than monolingual children but may know fewer words in each language. This is because they are exposed to words in both languages and may mix them up or use them interchangeably. However, this does not necessarily lead to lower school performance or a long-term lag in dominant language skills. In fact, research suggests that bilingualism can have cognitive benefits, such as improved problem-solving skills and higher academic achievement.

A Child Growing Up in a Bilingual Spanish/English Environment