Abstract
In this thesis, I will look into theories and research in early childhood bilingualism. I will compare how different language competencies such as speech perception, word learning, and grammar are acquired in monolingual versus bilingual children to find similar and different acquisition patterns and discuss features and findings affected by the dual language input. I will also discuss language exposure as a feature that could affect the pace and result of language acquisition, that could either result in a balanced bilingualism or a dominant native language. In the thesis I question some common misconceptions about the negative effects on child bilingualism and the outdated view that monolingualism is the norm, and that deviating from that norm is problematic, as standpoints that hold no scientific validation.
