<p>Would it cause any speech issues if I decide to teach my toddler English and Spanish at the same time? Or should I teach one language first and then the other one?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T16:49:28.550Z
Yes. Teach them simultaneously. The younger they are the more fluent they will be, and the more natural the sounds sound. It are the minor differences in sounds, better called phonemes, that are most difficult (or impossible) to learn on a later age. Think, for example, of adult Chinese that have difficulties distinguishing the R and the L sound. Children, however, can distinguish it. Search for phonology and you will find your references.
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T17:14:06.390Z
Thanks. My concern was that it would some how cause delayed speech and other speech problems.
ecorvo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T17:32:32.090Z
One thing I could image to happen is that the vocabulary of one language would improve less quickly, since the child needs to learn the words of two languages. It could of course also happen that you switch around grammatical rules or syntax, but I believe these are just minor slips and won't do any harm; It happens with everyone learning a second language.
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-21T18:12:02.103Z
Ours did fine. Dutch at home, English at daycare.
AliceD
<language><language-processing>
What are the pros and cons of teaching a toddler two languages simultaneously versus sequentially?
ecorvo
# What are the pros and cons of teaching a toddler two languages simultaneously versus sequentially?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-21)

Would it cause any speech issues if I decide to teach my toddler English and Spanish at the same time? Or should I teach one language first and then the other one?

**Tags:** language, language-processing

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Yes. Teach them simultaneously. The younger they are the more fluent they will be, and the more natural the sounds sound. It are the minor differences in sounds, better called phonemes, that are most difficult (or impossible) to learn on a later age. Think, for example, of adult Chinese that have difficulties distinguishing the R and the L sound. Children, however, can distinguish it. Search for phonology and you will find your references.  
> **username_0**: Thanks. My concern was that it would some how cause delayed speech and other speech problems.  
> **username_1**: One thing I could image to happen is that the vocabulary of one language would improve less quickly, since the child needs to learn the words of two languages. It could of course also happen that you switch around grammatical rules or syntax, but I believe these are just minor slips and won't do any harm; It happens with everyone learning a second language.  
> **username_2**: Ours did fine. Dutch at home, English at daycare.  

---

## 0 answers

