Bilingual cognitive and language development in the early years El desarrollo cognitivo y lingüístico bilingüe en edades tempranas
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Resumen:
Este artículo muestra cómo aprender dos idiomas desde una edad temprana puede ser una ventaja para el desarrollo de los niños. Aunque los estudios sobre el desarrollo del aprendizaje lingüístico no son nuevos, es crucial comprender las ventajas de ser bilingüe desde una edad muy temprana. En el contexto de estas aportaciones sobre el desarrollo bilingüe, este artículo proporciona un estado de la cuestión acerca de los efectos del proceso de adquisición del lenguaje en el desarrollo cognitivo infantil. Los resultados de esta revisión sugieren que los niños bilingües tienen beneficios cognitivos que redundan en su éxito como estudiantes. Sin embargo, hay algunos desafíos que aun pueden abordarse para que los niños bilingües mejoren aún más su capacidad de aprendizaje. Ser bilingüe, lejos de provocar problemas, mejora las habilidades cognitivas. En este sentido, es preciso fomentar más investigaciones sobre el bilingüismo en la primera infancia.
Palabras clave: Cerebro bilingüe; bilingüismo temprano; desarrollo bilingüe; primera infancia; adquisición del lenguaje
Abstract:
This article offers an examination of how learning two languages from an early age may be an asset to children’s development. Although discourses on language learning development are not new, it is crucial to understand the benefits of being bilingual from a very early age. At the interface of bilingual development, the present review article provides a summary of the knowledge gained by science into the effects on children’s cognitive development during the language acquisition process. Results from this review suggest that bilingual children enjoy cognitive gains which are critical for students’ success but there are some challenges that can be addressed to further enhance bilingual children’s learning. Rather than causing any kind of delay, being bilingual improves cognitive skills and more research on early childhood bilingualism must be further developed.
Keywords: Bilingual brain; early bilingualism; bilingual development; early childhood; language acquisition
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