Raising Bilingual Kids

There are places and countries where children grow up using two languages simultaneously in free communication with people within their native district; what’s more, there are children living in places where three, four and even more languages are in everyday use.

The United States belongs with countries which have a dominant language – the language used by the government, institutions, media, in which laws are made and jurisdiction exercised. In this situation, some of non-English speaking parents may find themselves put before a dilemma whether they should raise their child bilingual or it would be better for them to try and exclude other languages except for the dominant one?

It goes without saying that a fluent use of the dominant language is essential for the child, yet it is worthwhile for them to know the language of their ancestors, their parents’ native country, and benefit by their nationality’s culture. Besides, growing up bilingual carries some other benefits.

What is bilingualism, exactly?

When we speak of a bilingual person, we mean that he or she can understand, respond and voice opinions in two languages with ease, having no problem to switch from one language to another. If they can do that in three and more languages, the phenomenon is called “plurilingual.”

People often presume that the United States has an official language – it is a misconception. English is not the country’s official language legally; what’s more, unlike some other countries, the US has no official language. As of 2004, the number of spoken or recorded languages in the US went to approximately 336, and bilingualism can be considered normal for the country. Some states are actually bilingual – Louisiana (official languages – English and French), New Mexico (English and Spanish), Hawaii (English and Hawaiian).

Are the advantages of bilingualism so attractive?

According to some studies, children who grow in a bilingual (or plurilingual) environment show a higher level of creativity and ability to solve problems. It is also recognized that children who spoke two or more languages, at least during their several first years, were better equipped cognitively to learn foreign languages later in life.

In some experts’ opinion, though, if children grow to speak a different language from the one spoken at home by parents, communication may get worsened. As the child grows older, parents may begin to lose control leaving the child more exposed to outer influences. In search of the feeling of belonging they lack at home such children may become members of gangs and fall prey to socially negative lifestyles.

Is it easy to develop?

If you want your kid to grow up bilingual, you can take certain measures toward it. They are based on the idea to have the child exposed to each language in a different setting and instill in the child the importance of knowing and using both of them.

In the family where spouses have different native languages, it is advisable that each parent should address the child in their native language from the start – like mother speaking to the baby only in French, while father using only English.

In the family where both parents are not English, they can develop a habitual usage of (say) Spanish at home, but when the child goes to school, he or she switches onto English.

Whichever is your way of raising the kid as a bilingual, avoid mixing the languages. When you are speaking your native language other than English, don’t insert English phrases or expressions. But be ready for the child to do that on a regular basis – it is natural for them to jumble the words they have in mind into one sentence disregarding the language. In this case prompt the necessary word in your language without rebuking them.

Also, there are materials to be used to encourage learning a second language. The best bet is to make use of something related to the child’s hobby. A music-loving child can be enticed to listen to latest records of singers singing in English and French, a sport-minded child can watch sport events on a channel that broadcasts in Spanish.

Younger children can be accustomed to a second language through songs, rhymes and games. Be sure that you use the language persistently, varying the situations and offering new pastimes involving the use of the language. Some good ways are to send the child to the parents’ native country for summer holidays to intermingle with native speakers; to encourage the child to become friends with kids with the same heritage language; to send them to a school where two or more languages are taught.

It’s understood that when your child id brought up in another country, he or she will not gain a proper cohesion with your country’s culture and traditions; you will have to decide how much of the culture and customs you are willing for your child to take in.

We can rightly speak of an American culture; but we have to keep in mind that all those people who kept coming over to America hoping to set themselves up more fruitfully, brought their culture and their languages and maintained them within their homes and communities. At the same time they mastered English and went along with the predominant lifestyle. Several generations later, you can still find some of these customs and cultural features firmly established in families. Practically every major city in the US has a Chinatown or an Italian district where heritage customs are observed.

Any child who is comfortable with two languages will be exposed to two cultural strata, two different histories and two outlooks as they go on using both languages. It will also help them develop a stronger sense of identity and a better understanding how they are going to build up their future life.

Are there any setbacks to consider?

It is recognized that sometimes monolingual children show much higher language development compared to those who are learning two languages; also, bilingual children can display recurrent faults in speech – like using the wrong word order. Nevertheless, it doesn’t prevent understanding, and the faults are likely to disappear later if the child doesn’t develop inferiority complex through being railed at but is patiently corrected and explained how they should speak to sound better.

Parents can have misgivings that a child who speaks another language at home will be learning English at a slower pace when they go to school. They disregard the influence of the environment: children are exposed to English (and have been since green years) through movies, games, TV, consorting with other children. Generally they pick up quite a lot of English as they play and brush shoulders with other kids at the kindergarten or on the street, and when they are called upon to learn the language at school they have no problems leveling with their English-speaking classmates. It can result in parents trying to get the child not to speak English to them at home.

Just how problematic is it?

As children grow, some of them may become averse to speaking their home language. They get to spend more time with their class pals and emulate them. If their friends are monolingual and don’t understand another language, they may start to avoid speaking their other language even out of their friends’ hearing. So, if the parents are determined for the child to know their native language as well, they should use it persistently, overbearing their children’s reluctance.

Bilingualism: support

Statistics say that immigrant families are apt to drop their heritage language at the third generation. This goes to show that maintaining to preserve your language and your customs may prove quite a challenge – but it is worth persevering. Your support and encouragement plays a great role in your child’s growing to be a fluent bilingual. With your insistence, creative personal motivation and subtle pushing on, success is practically guaranteed.