True bilingualism by Klass’ definition means the ability to speak two languages proficiently as a native. Something he believes is a struggle and only few can reach. He argues that competent bilingualism probably only exists in countries outside of the United States, because in the United States children aren’t exposed to other languages. Early exposure to other languages however, can offer certain advantages when it comes to facilitating the formation of sounds in those languages. One key point that Klass touches on is that a child’s natural language ability alone will not be enough for true bilingualism, a massive amount of person to person exposure of both languages and effort are required as well.  This is difficult to do in the United States because of its monolingual environment, Erika Hoff says.

The article touches base on how a stronger sense of a language can be achieved through different types of exposures, for instance through literature. Hoff argues that a child who is learning two languages will have a limited vocabulary in both when compared to a child only exposed to one language, meaning that it takes longer to acquire two languages than one. However, Hoff claims this is not a problem provided the child receives enough input. Still, Hoff defends that when it comes to two languages in the United States, English will outweigh the Spanish exposure and thus cause the speaker of both languages to become more proficient in English. Whatever the case may be, the earlier exposure a child receives the more native they will sound. Although true bilingualism can be rare, the skills a child learns along the way are very valuable as well as a great advantage and therefore should be pursued.

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