Summary: A recent study of 121 infants in Accra, Ghana, finds that babies are routinely exposed to two to six languages through interactions with multiple caregivers. Contrary to the common Western model—where one primary caregiver provides most linguistic input—these infants acquire language within a diverse, socially rich environment.
Local languages such as Akan, Ga, and Ewe are learned primarily through direct, face-to-face interaction with caregivers, while Ghanaian English is encountered more indirectly through media and official channels. These patterns underscore the need for language acquisition research to better reflect global linguistic diversity and the varied ways children learn language.
Key Facts
- Multilingual exposure: Infants in the Accra sample regularly hear between two and six languages from multiple caregivers.
- Direct versus indirect input: Local languages are largely acquired via direct interactions; English is often learned through media, broadcast, and other indirect sources.
- Rethinking language learning: The study challenges the assumption that children learn a single language primarily from one caregiver and calls for broader, culturally inclusive models of language development.
Source: University of Potsdam
Overview of the study
Researchers examined 121 infants aged three to twelve months living in Accra, Ghana’s capital. The study documented a remarkable variety in linguistic environments: infants were exposed to between two and six different languages, and they regularly interacted with a similar range—two to six—of adult caregivers. The number of distinct languages a child heard increased with the number of adults involved in their daily care, reflecting the communal caregiving common in many Accra households.
Families in Accra often live in compound-style buildings where daily life and childrearing are shared across relatives, neighbors, and friends. These compounds create a social context in which multiple adults contribute to children’s daily interactions and language input.
“The idea that a child learns only one language from a single caregiver, often assumed in Western contexts, does not reflect the reality for many families in Accra,” explains Paul O. Omane, the study’s first author. He emphasizes that children in these settings grow up surrounded by a broad and dynamic spectrum of linguistic input from the outset.
Lead researcher Prof. Dr. Natalie Boll-Avetisyan highlights that most existing developmental research has been conducted in Western, industrialized societies and therefore can present a limited view of multilingualism. “Our findings show that many other societies offer a far more vibrant and socially distributed multilingual environment,” she says.
Direct and indirect sources of language input
A central finding distinguishes direct from indirect language input. Direct input refers to language the child hears in face-to-face interactions with caregivers, while indirect input includes language from television, radio, public announcements, and other non-interactive sources. In this Ghanaian sample, local languages such as Akan, Ga, and Ewe were transmitted mainly through direct interactions. In contrast, Ghanaian English appeared more frequently as indirect input, reflecting its presence in media, schools, and official communication.
Although direct interaction remains crucial for early language learning, the study highlights the significant role that indirect input plays in urban settings. Media and institutional communication contribute meaningfully to the linguistic environment and can shape the child’s developing exposure to certain languages.
Implications for language research and policy
The authors call for a broader perspective in studies of early language development—one that accounts for the cultural and social variation present worldwide. They argue that assumptions based on single-caregiver models do not capture the complexity of many children’s lived experiences, especially in multilingual societies. Beyond counting the number of languages a child hears, the diversity of caregivers and the mix of direct and indirect input are decisive factors influencing language acquisition.
“For many children, multilingualism is not an add-on or an optional skill; it’s an integral part of daily life, social identity, and community structure from the very beginning,” the research team concludes. The study therefore contributes important evidence for more inclusive theories of language development that reflect diverse social realities.
About this language and learning research news
Author: Matthias Zimmermann
Source: University of Potsdam
Contact: Matthias Zimmermann – University of Potsdam
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
Exploring the nature of multilingual input to infants in multiple caregiver families in an African city: The case of Accra (Ghana) by Natalie Boll-Avetisyan et al., published in Cognitive Development.
Abstract
Exploring the nature of multilingual input to infants in multiple caregiver families in an African city: The case of Accra (Ghana)
Understanding how infants are exposed to language in multilingual African settings is essential to developing inclusive models of language acquisition. This study investigated language input to infants aged 3;0–12;0 months (N = 121) in Accra, a highly multilingual urban context. Data collection combined interviews with caregivers and a 12-hour logbook in which caregivers recorded the languages their child heard during a typical day. Findings showed consistent patterns across both measurement methods, indicating reliable documentation of infants’ linguistic environments.
Results indicate that Ghanaian infants are regularly raised in multilingual settings, exposed to between two and six languages and cared for by two to six regular adult providers. No systematic association was found between infants’ age and the number of languages or caregivers. Analysis of input types revealed that Ghanaian English was more often received indirectly, while Akan, Ewe, and Ga were characterized by higher proportions of direct interaction. No age-related differences emerged in these patterns.
These findings illuminate how social and cultural contexts shape the language environment of infants in multilingual African societies and underscore the importance of studying diverse, non-Western populations to broaden our understanding of early language development.