Culture as a binder for bilingual acquisition

Babies growing up bilingual attune to the speech sounds, rhythm, and intonation of each of their native languages; establish word meanings; and acquire syntax. Given that language acquisition occurs within a broader cultural context, we propose that culture may provide a binder for language acquisition, particularly for a bilingual learner. Bilingual infants may be able to use cultural information outside of language to help keep their two languages distinct, while simultaneously acquiring both of these languages successfully. We review the extant literature that supports this hypothesis, and suggest three mechanisms by which cultural binding may occur: acquired distinctiveness, structural isomorphy, and privileged relations. (C) 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.