Bilingual babies learn words differently

OTTAWA, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers found infants from bilingual homes learned two similar-sounding words at a later age than babies from one-language homes.

The study, published in Child Development, found babies raised in bilingual homes learn new words differently. Bilingual babies need to devote their attention to the general associations between words and objects -- often a word in each language -- rather than focusing on detailed sound information, said lead author Christopher T. Fennell, of the University of Ottawa in Ontario.

"Through studies with bilingual infants, we can gain a deeper understanding of language development in all infants," Fennell said in a statement. "In addition, the findings emerging from such studies will have practical implications for parents who are raising their children in a bilingual environment by revealing how young bilinguals acquire language."

The researchers from the University of British Columbia and University of Ottawa tested monolingual and bilingual -- English-Chinese and English-French -- children ages 14, 17 and 20 months on their ability to associate two words differing in a single consonant sound with two different objects.