Why do some children who grow up hearing two languages only use one? Our guest, Dr. Annick De Houwer, has been researching this question for years. De Houwer is a professor of language acquisition and multilingualism at the University of Erfurt in Germany and the founder of the Harmonious Bilingualism Network (HaBilNet). We spoke to her about her work, bilingual language development, and what she calls harmonious bilingualism.

© Nadia Frantsen, University of Oslo

De Houwer has conducted extensive research in the field of bilingual acquisition and language development. Her 1990 book “The acquisition of two languages from birth” is considered pioneering work in bilingual acquisition. In addition to her linguistic research, she also examines the socio-emotional aspects of early bilingualism. De Houwer introduced the concept of harmonious bilingual development in 2006.

Additional Resources

• Harmonious Bilingualism Network (HaBilNet)
• Learning how to read and write in two languages, Janice Nakamura, HaBilNet.org
• Harmonious Bilingualism: Well-being for families in bilingual settings, Annick De Houwer, July 2019
• Why do so many children who hear two languages speak just a single language?, Annick De Houwer, 2020