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*YOU ARE HERE
An easy-to-follow guide to bilingualism
Language skills are becoming increasingly important for us in today's ever-growing 'global village'. The amount of bilingual / multilingual children in the world is estimated to be in the majority. Many of these children become bilingual through environmental and social necessity, such as upon immigration, and others through choices such as cultural heritage. The reasons are as varied as the paths to bilingualism. No matter the reason or the method you choose for your child to learn another or many other languages, rest assured that the outcome is the same in the end. Your child will be enriched both mentally and culturally.
We hope that what follows will help you to choose your path and find the best way for you and your family to encourage bilingualism in your child, as well as to overcome any reservations you may have.
The GUIDE is divided into TWO pages: 1.The Info guide (this page) 2. The Practical Guide (next page)
The Info Guide has 3 sections - click on the word to jump to following sections:
Although there are many definitions of bilingualism, 'true' or 'perfect' bilingualism is generally regarded as the following:
A person capable of using a second language with
equal ease and fluency as
the
Such 'textbook' bilingualism, although seen by many as the ideal, is however entirely unattainable since being 'perfectly' bilingual is not possible for anyone. So we should never expect this from our children. Language skills fluctuate throughout our lives due to environmental, educational and social factors and so then does our level of bilingualism at any given point.
It is also important to remember that reading and writing do not come naturally in any language and therefore also need to be taught in the second language (i.e. the language that will not be taught at school). This will take a large investment of time and dedication on your part if you decide to teach these skills yourself.
1. The first and most detrimental myth concerning bilingualism is the idea that learning more than one language at an early age may cause the child to suffer confusion and even retardation with regards to comprehension and intelligence. This myth was apparently propagated following a poorly designed American study. Recent studies have shown this to be entirely incorrect [As outlined on our homepage under "The Experts Say"]: the differences between bilingual and monolingual children are negligible. One may consider that a child who has had the opportunity to learn more than one language has received greater mental stimulation in this area than his/her monolingual peers, and so, if anything, has the advantage. Although this does not mean the child will necessarily be more intelligent overall than his/her monolingual peers, they may come out on top in certain areas such as language games.
2. A second very harmful fallacy usually lurks closely behind the first (It could also be considered as part of the first since it is based on the same misconception): A child 'exposed' to two languages as a baby will start speaking much later than his/her peers. Some children start speaking much later than others - this goes for bilingual as well as monolingual children and studies show no difference between them here either. Parents are often taunted with this the minute they let it be known that they intend for their children to be bilingual. These taunts may come from well-meaning family, friends, and even some health care professionals who still have preconceived ideas about bilingualism. Ignore them. These are just the fears and misunderstandings of monolingual people in an every-growing bilingual world. (Please see the special warning at the end of this section.)
3. The mixing of languages by children is a sign of confusion. Most linguists agree that this is not true. When learning more than one language, a child is bound to mix the two initially. This is perfectly normal. The child is still busy trying to make sense of the language patterns. The language mixing will probably occur in a series of stages. For example: At first the child may draw words from both languages and use them as one language, as they lack sufficient vocabulary; then later they may use the structure of one with the words of the other. Adult bilinguals can also sometimes throw the odd word or expression in from the other language. Not necessarily because they can't remember how to say that or because they can't tell the difference between the two, but perhaps because there is no exact translation for what they want to say (such is often the case with connotations in language, for example); or sometimes they just do this for effect.
4. One language should be properly acquired before starting another. This is another misconception brought about by the same erroneous studies performed in the first half of the last century on American immigrants. These studies were negatively biased against immigrants and therefore invalidated later on. (The tests were often given to immigrant children shortly after arrival in America when their English was still very poor and they were still very stressed). Quite the opposite is true: The easiest way for a child to learn two languages is from birth, simultaneously. Therefore the earlier one starts, the better. Since a newborn baby is potentially (biologically) capable of learning any sound in any language (a faculty that disappears with age), they will assimilate AS NORMAL any language spoken to them from birth. This innate capacity diminishes with age and that is why an older child will have a harder time learning another language. So don't leave it until they go to school, thinking this will help them.
5. Conversely, those who say that learning a language after a certain age is impossible are also wrong. We are all capable of learning a language at any age, it is just more difficult when we get older. This means there will be fewer adults capable of attaining a high level of bilingualism. It is true however that there are certain sounds, which, if not heard before a certain age, we will never be able to hear (a biological fact). This only affects pronunciation though and is most commonly applied to west-east combinations (such as an English-speaker learning Chinese or vice-versa). This also explains why children who only start learning a language at school may take longer to or may never fully acquire the accent. It is considered to be harder (but not impossible) after the age of 7.
6. Another worry which may be thrown your way is that a bilingual child will end up feeling divided by and caught between two cultures. This is not the case as adult bilinguals will tell you. As long as they are exposed to both cultures in a balanced and natural way - such as when their parents are at ease with their different cultures - both will become part of their identity, which will be all the richer for it. This does not mean that they will bind the two cultures into one, but that they will adopt whichever is necessary according to the cultural expectations of the person or situation.
There is only one main warning we have come across and here it is in the words of BabyCenter.com:
"There are instances where exposure to two languages may harm development. If your child has any documented speech-language disorders or delays, such as autism, hearing impairment, Down Syndrome, dyspraxia, etc., he should focus on learning one language only — learning two languages would be too confusing."
Please bear in mind, however, that even a severely mentally handicapped child can become bilingual without any negative effects (such as when there is a parent and other siblings who speak a minority language) - it all depends on the child and his/her particular situation and disorder - you need to seek professional advice in such cases.
Also, if your child is not speaking as well as they should be with regards to their peers, and even if perhaps a doctor is insisting this has to do with your teaching bilingualism, it is suggested you make sure your child doesn't have a hearing impairment. A child with a hearing impairment may learn language more slowly for obvious reasons.
*FYI: For easy viewing and printing offline simply down simply download the small PDF file (Adobe Acrobat Reader) by clicking HERE. (If you don't have Acrobat Reader you could download it HERE)
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