A BILINGUAL-IN-PROCESS COULD BE A CHILD GROWING UP IN A BILINGUAL ADULT MILIEU, OR AN ADULT WHO HAS MOVED TO A DIFFERENT LINGUISTIC MILIEU. THE LEARNING PROCESS MIGHT BE CASUAL EXPOSURE OR SYSTEMATIC PEDAGOGY. THERE IS STRONG EVIDENCE THAT FOR CHILDREN UNDER ELEVEN LANGUAGE IS SOUND AND FOR ADULTS, SENSE. CHILDREN ATTEND MORE TO THE SURFACE, JUST AS THEY ALSO CONNECT SPEECH MORE TO THE IMMEDIATE SITUATION IN WHICH IT OCCURS. FOR ADULTS, LANGUAGE IS TRANSPARENT, SINCE ADULTS RAPIDLY PENETRATE THE SURFACE OF AN UTTERANCE TO ITS MEANINGS, TO A NETWORK OF CONNECTED THOUGHTS. THE BASIS FOR THIS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHILDREN AND ADULTS IS UNKNOWN. IF THE DIFFERENCE IS NEUROLOGICAL, OR LIES IN THE LOSS OF AN ABILITY, CHILDREN MUST BE EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT TEACHING METHODS THAN ADULTS, SINCE THEIR ABILITIES DIFFER. IF THE DIFFERENCE IN BEHAVIOR IS A CONSEQUENCE OF SHIFT OF SET OR ATTENTION OR THE RESULT OF THE ADULT'S GREATER RICHNESS AND SKILL IN SEMANTIC ASSOCIATION, THE PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS ARE QUITE DIFFERENT. THESE CONSIDERATIONS AND OTHERS CONCERNING AGE OF LEARNING AND THE SOCIAL MILIEU ARE BROUGHT TO BEAR IN THIS PAPER, TO SUGGEST NEW DIRECTIONS THAT RESEARCH MIGHT TAKE IN THE STUDY OF BILINGUALISM. (AUTHOR/AMM)