Exploring the nature of multilingual input to infants in multiple caregiver families in an African city: The case of Accra (Ghana)

• Published in: Cognitive development Vol. 74; p. 101558
• Main Authors: Omane, Paul Okyere, Benders, Titia, Boll-Avetisyan, Natalie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.04.2025
• Subjects: African infants; Interview assessment; Language input; Multilingual infants; Multilingualism; Interview assessment; Multilingual infants; Multilingualism; Language input; African infants
• ISSN: 0885-2014
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101558

Examining the language input experiences of infants growing up in multilingual African environments is essential to understanding their language acquisition. We explored the language input to 3;0–12;0-month-old infants (N = 121) in Ghana (Sub-Saharan Africa), a non-Western and less-economically rich social context and highly multilingual country. Data collection involved an interview assessment, followed by caregivers completing a 12-hour logbook to indicate the languages their child heard over a day. Results demonstrated consistency of the infant's language exposure across both input measurement tools, suggesting their reliability. Results revealed that Ghanaian infants are raised multilingually, exposed to between two and six languages, and engage with between two and six regular input providers. There was no evidence for associations of age with number of languages or regular input providers. Analyses of the relative amount of input in Ghanaian English, Akan, Ewe, and Ga, revealed that infants receive less direct than indirect input in Ghanaian English, with no such difference observed in Akan, Ewe, Ga, and no evidence of age effects. These findings shed light on the language environment and input to African infants raised in multilingual societies, highlighting the impact of social and cultural contexts on linguistic input. We conclude with reflections on studying infants in non-Western, less-economically Rich social contexts in multilingual Africa. •Infant language input was estimated in a highly multilingual environment.•Tools were a Language Input Estimate interview protocol and a logbook over a day.•Ghanaian infants are raised multilingually, with between two and six languages.•Infants with more input providers also hear more different languages.•Ghanaian infants get more indirect than direct input in Ghanaian English