ABSTRACT
This chapter provides different socio-cultural settings are considered, and the consistency in their results contributes reliability and confidence to our understanding of simultaneous bilingualism. However, there are few studies that make direct comparisons of language learning in young simultaneous bilinguals in different socio-cultural settings using comparable methodologies. Researchers commonly distinguish between simultaneous acquisition of more than one language and successive acquisition of a second or additional language. Research on young simultaneous bilinguals is also critical for early childcare and school administrators and policy-makers to ensure that they establish and implement developmentally and culturally appropriate policies and practices. A common metric of development and the subject of much empirical investigation is the number of words simultaneous bilinguals know in each language; but other metrics include rate of vocabulary development, number of translation equivalents, and speed and accuracy of lexical processing.
