Child language development: Questions and answers for Indigenous language nests

This paper discusses foundational aspects of child language development for the benefit of language nests, which are immersion-based Indigenous language revitalization programs for children from birth through around age five. Our review of child language development research is guided by eight key questions that focus on: 1) when children begin to learn their first language(s), 2) the importance of amount of language input, 3) whether the type of language input matters, 4) milestones in language development, 5) variation among children, 6) if speaking another language is a problem, 7) bilingual language development, and 8) children with speech and language difficulties. Our responses draw from the scientific literature across fields such as child language development, linguistics, early childhood education, cognitive science, and psychology. After summarizing the research, we offer some suggestions and considerations for language nests based on the research. Ultimately, the goal of the article is to provide a useful resource that identifies key findings in child language development research in order to support families, educators, researchers, and communities working to establish and sustain language nests

Shin, N., Chew, K. A. B. Chew, Henke, R. E., Kirk-Lente, M., Khalsa, A. L., Jacobson, K., Irizarry-Pérez, C., Allen, S. E. M., & Chee, M. R. (2025). Child language development: Questions and answers for Indigenous language nests. In A. Skilton, R. E. Henke, and M. R. Chee (Eds.), Bridging child language research to practice for Indigenous language revitalization. Language Documentation & Conservation Special (30), 145–186. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74826