Summary: A new study of 121 infants in Accra, Ghana, reveals that babies regularly hear between two and six languages from multiple caregivers. Unlike the Western model of learning one language from a primary caregiver, these children acquire language through a dynamic social environment.
Local languages like Akan, Ga, and Ewe are learned mainly through direct interactions, while English is acquired more indirectly via media and official communication. These findings highlight the need for a broader perspective on language acquisition that reflects global linguistic diversity.
Key Facts
- Multilingual Exposure: Ghanaian infants hear two to six languages from multiple caregivers.
- Direct vs. Indirect Input: Local languages come from direct interactions, while English is learned mainly through media.
- Redefining Language Learning: The study challenges Western assumptions about single-language learning models.
Source: University of Potsdam
A study that examined 121 babies aged three to twelve months in Accra, the capital of Ghana, demonstrates a remarkable variety of language input in the early months of life. The children are regularly exposed to two to six languages.
Strikingly, the number of caregivers the children have also ranges between two and six, and babies who have more adults in their daily lives who regularly take care of them also hear more different languages.
In Ghana, families often live in so-called “compound buildings”, where many everyday interactions take place in the courtyard, where family, neighbors and other relatives play an important role in the lives of children.
“The idea that a child learns only one particular language from a single caregiver, as is often assumed in Western cultures, does not apply to these communities. Rather, children are surrounded by a rich spectrum of linguistic inputs from the very beginning,” says Paul O. Omane, the first author of the study.
“The majority of studies on children’s language acquisition have been conducted in Western industrialized nations, which is why they often focus on a rather narrow conception of multilingualism. Our research shows that other societies show a much more vibrant multilingual environment,” the study’s lead researcher, Prof. Dr. Natalie Boll-Avetisyan adds.
A key finding of the study is the distinction between direct and indirect language input. While English is primarily acquired through indirect channels such as television and official communication, children receive most of the local languages (such as Akan, Ga and Ewe) through direct contact with their caregivers.
Accordingly, the proportion of direct input is higher in the local languages than in English, which is predominantly present as indirect input.
It is often emphasized how important direct language contact is for language acquisition,” Natalie Boll-Avetisyan says.
“However, our results suggest that indirect input – especially through media and official communication – also plays an essential role in the children’s daily lives, particularly in urban contexts.”
As a result of their empirical study, the researchers call for a broader view in language research. The common assumptions do not reflect the diversity and complexity found in other cultural contexts such as Ghana.
The study makes it clear that it is not only the number of languages a child hears, but also the diversity of people and the different forms of input that have a decisive influence on language acquisition.
“Our research shows that for many children, a multilingual environment is a dynamic, vibrant reality from the very beginning. Multilingualism is not just a bonus, but a fundamental part of children’s identity and social structure,” the researcher says.
About this language and learning research news
Author: Matthias Zimmermann
Source: University of Potsdam
Contact: Matthias Zimmermann – University of Potsdam
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Exploring the nature of multilingual input to infants in multiple caregiver families in an African city: The case of Accra (Ghana)” by Natalie Boll-Avetisyan et al. Cognitive Development
Abstract
Exploring the nature of multilingual input to infants in multiple caregiver families in an African city: The case of Accra (Ghana)
Examining the language input experiences of infants growing up in multilingual African environments is essential to understanding their language acquisition.
We explored the language input to 3;0–12;0-month-old infants (N = 121) in Ghana (Sub-Saharan Africa), a non-Western and less-economically rich social context and highly multilingual country.
Data collection involved an interview assessment, followed by caregivers completing a 12-hour logbook to indicate the languages their child heard over a day.
Results demonstrated consistency of the infant’s language exposure across both input measurement tools, suggesting their reliability.
Results revealed that Ghanaian infants are raised multilingually, exposed to between two and six languages, and engage with between two and six regular input providers.
There was no evidence for associations of age with number of languages or regular input providers.
Analyses of the relative amount of input in Ghanaian English, Akan, Ewe, and Ga, revealed that infants receive less direct than indirect input in Ghanaian English, with no such difference observed in Akan, Ewe, Ga, and no evidence of age effects.
These findings shed light on the language environment and input to African infants raised in multilingual societies, highlighting the impact of social and cultural contexts on linguistic input.
We conclude with reflections on studying infants in non-Western, less-economically Rich social contexts in multilingual Africa.
