Some of our bilingual colleagues discuss their pet peeves about having more than one mother tongue. Wait, there’s a disadvantage to bilingualism?

By Giulia Depentor

There’s an ongoing debate about the definition of bilingualism. Some argue that one must have been exposed to two languages from birth to be considered bilingual, while others maintain that a person of any age can become bilingual by mastering a second language. Definitions aside, when one considers that it’s harder to learn a second language as an adult, people with two mother tongues clearly have an advantage.