Javier's mother is a native Spanish speaker, and his father is a native English speaker. He hears both languages equally often and is addressed in Spanish by his mother and in English by his father. If Javier is a typical toddler, how will his language skills be affected by this early experience?
A) He will be able to understand one language but not the other.
B) He will often mix the two languages together and be unable to differentiate them.
C) He will soon speak both languages.
D) His cognitive skills will lag behind those of similar-aged monolingual children.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research has shown that bilingual toddlers who are exposed to two languages from birth can often speak both languages by the time they are 2-3 years old. Javier's consistent exposure to both Spanish and English from his parents is likely to facilitate his ability to learn and use both languages.

Javier's Mother Is a Native Spanish Speaker, and His Father