First and Second Language Acquisition: Parallels and DifferencesInfants and very young children develop almost miraculously the ability of speech, without apparent effort, without even being taught as opposed to the teenager or the adult struggling without, it seems, ever being able to reach the same level of proficiency as five year olds in their first language. This useful textbook serves as a guide to different types of language acquisition: monolingual and bilingual first language development and child and