Impact of bilingualism on language development in 46 Egyptian children

Abstract

Purpose: Bilingualism is a common practice around the world. It was believed that bilingualism might affect language development. This study aimed to investigate the impact of bilingualism on language development in a group of Egyptian children. Methods: The study included 46 children 5–6 years of age recruited from a single American international school in Egypt to ensure all subjects have same socio-economic standard and the same environment to exclude other factors that may affect language development other than bilingualism. The 46 students are average students as per their school report; all children started learning English at the age of 3 years. At home, parents speak Arabic all the time and just label a few objects in English language. Socio-economic data were collected through parents’ interviews; there was no history of delayed language development nor speech and language therapy. Two assessment tools were administered: Preschool Language Scales Fifth Edition (PLS-5) to assess English language and Receptive Expressive Arabic Language Scale (REAL Scale) to assess Arabic language development for the study group, and this tool start age is 5 years. Results: The results of the PLS-5 and REAL Scale indicated normal language development of Arabic and English in all children. Conclusion: Early English language learning does not affect Arabic language development in the study group. Both languages are well developed in these children, provided they use Arabic as the primary communication language at home with parents and siblings.