Language diversity and bilingual first language acquisition: A commentary on Kidd and Garcia (2022)

Abstract

Discussing the issue of representativeness from a bilingual perspective, we address how the problem is multiplied in the case of bilingual first language acquisition (BFLA). Given 7,000 languages, there are over 24 million possible language pairs that bilingual children might acquire. In current research and databases including CHILDES, English and Indo-European languages dominate: even non-Indo-European languages are typically paired with an Indo-European language. Referring to studies involving East Asian languages, we outline how genetic, contact, and typological relationships between language pairs may influence the course of BFLA.