The Interplay Between Bicultural Blending and Dual Language Acquisition

Abstract

Bilingual individuals acquire their two languages either simultaneously or sequentially, which relates to how these languages are stored and represented in the brain. Because language is used to transmit culture, bilinguals’ mode of dual language acquisition may also relate to different perceptions of the corresponding two cultures as blended and fused versus separate and compartmentalized. With a sample of English–Spanish bilingual Mexican Americans ( N = 149), we found that compound bilinguals (simultaneous dual language acquisition) blended their two cultures to a greater extent than coordinate bilinguals (sequential dual language acquisition), and this finding remained even after controlling for generation status. Our study highlights the interplay of language and culture, particularly the importance of the process of cultural learning and language acquisition to the bicultural experience.