Message Board

plan for trilingualism: Basque-French-Swedish

aitor — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:54:15 GMT

hi

I would like to get some comments on this plan that my wife and I have been working on for our family. I am Basque, she is French and we have a four month-old boy. I speak French and she does not speak Basque. We live in Stockholm, Sweden.

Our ideas:

Main rules
1 One parent one language
2 French is the family language when my wife is involved or interested in a conversation

Minor rules

a Answer in the language you are spoken to
b Start and finish your sentences in the same language
c Swedish is used when having guests at home

Supporting the Basque language
Since French will be the stronger home language measures are needed to support the Basque language

a Long and frequent stays in the Basque Country ( Iam a teacher so I have enough vacations and breaks to do so)
b Basque can be used in my wife's presence if the speech or dialogue is short and translated in a summarized way
c Games, songs, books, music, activities, movies will be in Basque more often than in French.

so what do you think? can it work? Thanks in advance.

Aitor

Forum: Your Questions -- General

Non-fluent mother used to increase exposure to Minority Language

jana — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:48:34 GMT

Dear Everyone,

I am Czech and speak intermediate English with a fair amount of grammatical mistakes. My husband is American. We live in the Czech Republic. Our two-year old daughter has been exposed to English one to two hours per day when my husband comes home from work. He speaks with her only in English and she understands everything, but she is used to speaking mostly Czech to him (he understands.) Now, we are worried that we have made a mistake by letting her speak Czech to him, even though this developed naturally in our household.

Now we are trying to compensate by having me and my husband speak English whenever we are together. My English as I mentioned is not so great (my husband helped me with this e-mail), so we are worried about her picking up bad grammar and accent. Further, my husband feels it is not right to constantly chastise our daughter to speak only English, especially since she has been used to speaking Czech with him. Jana

Forum: Your Questions -- General

Child Understands but Refuses to Speak Minority Language

Charlie — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:57:36 GMT

My wife and I are raising our two boys here in the US. One is 22 months and the other is 44 months. My wife is a native Spanish speaker and I am a native English speaker, and I am fluent in Spanish and Italian. The method we have been using is that she speaks in Spanish to the boys and I speak both Spanish and English to them. I have not even tried to introduce Italian yet, which may be the topic for another post. We have many friends who speak only Spanish, and we have a baby sitter who is a Spanish speaker with very limited English, so they are both exposed to Spanish a very large percentage of the time. Our older boy understands everything in Spanish, but will only use a Spanish word if he doesn't know the English word. When he goes to our Spanish speaking friend's house, he needs her 4 year old to translate our son's responses to her Spanish questions-which he understands. We are looking for a way to get him to speak this language that he clearly understands. Any ideas?

Forum: Family Language Systems

Problems w/ Monolingual Grandparents

nick_b — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:39:46 GMT

This may seem kind of ridiculous, but my wife and I have been having problems with my parents and the manner in which they feel we should be raising our daughter linguistically.

The situation: my wife is from Chile, and I speak both English and Spanish fluently. My wife's English ability is not perfect, yet it is improving. We have adopted a mL@H method for teaching our daughter both languages (Spanish as the predominant language).

My wife and I are not concerned with our daughter's ability to adopt both languages. We have chosen to speak Spanish as a family in order to ensure that she learns both languages.

The problem: my parents (dad=somewhat bilingual, mom=monolingual) are adamant in their opinion that we are going about this in the incorrect manner. Their opinion is that we should be focusing on English with our daughter during these formative years.

How can I convince them otherwise? I am extremely interested to know if others have faced a similar problem and, if so, how did you overcome it? Is the only sure method of proving our method to wait and provide evidence when our daughter speaks both languages fluently?

Your comments are greatly appreciated and will be well-received!

Forum: Family Language Systems

failed with first child

Tina — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:53:06 GMT

Hello everyone,

I have a son who just turned 5 years old and utterly failed teaching him my native language German. I did so good at first as far as trying hard but I have not spoken my own language in ten years now so it's hard for me to speak it as well, so it does not come naturally. Combine that with the fact that at 3 years old he basically spoke (or understood!) neither German nor English, and I just gave up. Kids were starting to look at him funny because he could not talk and I felt bad so I thought he at least needs to learn English for now. Well of course once I got used to speaking English, I never started German again. Now when I try he tells me to speak English and he only remembers a few random words. So, failure :-(

However now I am pregnant with another boy. I am absolutely determined to do better this time and I have much material now than I had with my son (books, dvd's, leapfrog games with german option). I think - HOPE - that I can be successful with him. But I still want my son to learn German too! Is it too late? I don't know where to start now, he has zero interest and of course now it is so much easier to not struggle with German...he is finally fluent in English (this took long enough as well, I think he struggles with language period) and it's so nice to finally be able to talk that I hate when we both struggle cause he doesn't understand me and I have to end up translating every word anyway...

Any help from people who can relate is greatly appreciated!

Tina

Forum: Your Questions -- General

English baby talk?

Gabriela — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:21:46 GMT

I found this site while I was pregnant with my first child, who is now 5 months old. My husband and I decided we would speak English to her to raise her bilingually (our mother tongue is Spanish and we live in a Spanish speaking country). I am an English translator and although I'm very fluent in the language, I find it really hard to speak to my baby in English bec. I'm not familiar with baby talk in English. I don't like to speak to her using the same language I'd use with an adult... Do you know of movies/Internet sites, etc, where I can get ideas to speak English to my baby "in baby"? Thanks!

Forum: Non-native Speakers

HOW? Introducing minority lanquage at 18 months

Alena — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:16:03 GMT

Hi
Our son was born in US where I and my husband work temporaly. We were expected to return back to Europe a year after our son was born. Of course, we did not wanted to miss the opportunity for him to learn second language - English.
Considering the time frame and also the fact that since 6 months he stays in English speaking daycare during the week, we decided to start him English fully, and then - when he is still young - back in Europe, introduce him to our native Czech.

Circumstances changed and our stay will prolonge another 3 years.

It is time to the second language asap despite the changed circumstances.
BUT WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY?

Now our son is 15 months and started to enjoy first words in English.

THere is no Czech community where we live, no relatives speaking the minority language; and it is not easy to get many books, tv shows, etc. in Czech.
I am considering to start with translating all objects to both languages for 2 weeks and then start talking to my son stright Czech only, while my husband would continue in English for 6 months ( parent to parent in Czech to encrease the exposure ) and then he would join us speaking Czech.
I am assuming that this would allow us to communicate with the little one enough to master also other challenges of the age - e.g. potty training....
... while English would be taught only outside the house - in the daycare.

Is this idea OK or should we stick with one parent majority and one minority language startin now going forward?

Could any one with experience comment on this idea? or recommend an approach that worked?

Many thanks.

Forum: Your Questions -- General

Cantonese family's children in French School

Dom — Thur, 19 Jun 2008 03:33:24 GMT

Our children are in French School in Canada which do not introduce English until grade 4, I am worry that it will affect my children's english ability when they go to higher grade or in University, since English is still more important than French. Besides, my family speaks cantonese with them at home. Any one have situation like us. Thanks.

Forum: Your Questions -- General

advice needed

Yo — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:27:11 GMT

Hi everyone,
First let me briefly introduce the situation:husband French,me Chinese.We now live in an English speaking country with our 1 year old baby who was born here.The main language used between my husband and I is English.
My husband has been talking in French to our child since the very beginning.
But I always speak in English to him,which is against the rule of using native language.The reason is that I do feel more natural/comfortable to talk in English than in my mother tongue after all the years I spent abroad.Besides,it easier for him to communicate with local people and kids.

Initially we planned to put him in daycare at 1 yr old so that he could maintain his English level while I'd start talking exclusively in Chinese to him.But we changed mind later that we'd keep him until 2 yrs old.So it means that he cannnot work on his Chinese until 2 yrs old which in my opinion is a bit late.

I thought of stopping English to start Chinese now.But the problem is that he's used to my speaking English.At 1 yr old,he already understands English pretty well and speaks several words in English.
I've heard that 1-1.5 yrs is the most important time for children to form their languages.I'm afraid that if I drop English straight away,it might cause negative effects on his language development.

I've also tried to speak both english and chinese but it was so odd that even myself got lost.

I really wonder when and how can I introduce Chinese to my baby.Any advice is gratefully appreciated.

Forum: Your Questions -- General

how to teach adopted kids 2 different languages?

Sandra de Cassia Martins — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:59:59 GMT

Hello,

I am originally from Brazil, husband American, we live in USA.

We have a baby girl 18mo who understand both Portuguese and English. Since she was born I have been speaking to her in Portuguese and our nanny only speaks Portuguese.

Now we are in process of adopting 2 kids from Poland, ages 4 and 2yo. The kids speak only Polish and NO English or Portuguese at all.

I would like to as soon as the kids come home, treat them as we treat our baby: Dad, dad's family and all other Americans in the country speak only English, and Mommy, nanny and mommy's family (we talk daily on webcam) only speak Portuguese.

Is it too much to trow on the girls who are already leaving their birth language and land?

I do not want to cause them harm at all; Just seems like that I might as well expose them to Portuguese at the first opportunity. Besides, baby and nanny / baby and mommy only communicate in Portuguese, and we spend a month in Brazil every year. so I do not want the girls to feel different from baby...

What do you think? any suggestions?

Forum: Family Language Systems

Bilingualism Proficiency

Chris — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:44:14 GMT

Greets,

I just started researching multilingualism and find myself with a load of questions. Here's the one that's really eating at me though.

Can a bilingual child ever be as proficient in the language of the monolingual child?

I'm a monolingual myself and to this day I am still building upon and improving my English. If I were to raise my child learning both Spanish and English, I just have a hard time believing that his English would have the same proficiency as if I were to raise him speaking only English.

-Much Bests

Forum: Your Questions -- General

American born bilingual Chinese dad and monolingual mother

Tao_Jie_Mei — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:36:30 GMT

Hi all,

An issue we are currently facing in our home is that DH is American-born Chinese (known affectionately as an ABC). Therefore, Mandarin is not his strongest language. Yes, he can speak it fluently, but due to very infrequent use, his skills are sort of rusty. He's forgotten a lot of vocabulary, etc. I currently speak only English but am making plans to learn Mandarin.

In the meantime, we are trying to figure out how to teach DS (our first) Mandarin. He's 4 months old, but obviously, needs to be exposed early to the language. We're basically experimenting with the OPOL method, but DH frequently "forgets" to use Mandarin with DS. He concedes the necessity of being the one to speak Mandarin , but then falters on actual performance (though recently, he's gotten a lot better).

To further complicate matters, DS and I are leaving for 6 weeks this summer while I study in England. DH can't be with us, due to work. I'm considering buying the Chinese DVD systems like Little Pim and Baby Learns Chinese to use with DS to keep him exposed to the language while we're away from daddy (and also for when we get back). I'm also considering purchasing the Speak and Sing with Mei Mei CDs. I will have lots of time when I get back as I'm transitioning from teaching to being a SAHM. Also, MIL (otherwise known as Nai Nai) would be more than happy to speak to DS in Mandarin (and does when she's around.)

Further, we are considering sending DS to an international school (probably Dallas International) as soon as he is preschool age and to Chinese school on the weekends. Does anyone else have any experience with any of that?

Any suggestions or tips (or anything, really) would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Jie Mei

Forum: Non-native Speakers

Mandarin Immersion Schools in the US

Sara — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:36:50 GMT

Hello everyone, I am looking for a good Mandarin School anywhere in the US. I mean a real, Monday-Friday, at least 50% Mandarin, elementary school. Either Public or Private. We are currently living in Hong Kong and are a bit tired of big city life. We are considering returning to the US, to a medium sized city. My son is currently 2.5 and speaks both Mandarin and English. Any advise would be appreciated!
Sara Wang

Forum: Your Questions -- General

Exposing your child to a language you can't speak

Thomas H — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:15:58 GMT

Howdy,

I'm an American living in Japan, married to a Japanese woman. We have a son, Noah, who is going to turn 9 months in a few days. I just started reading up on raising multilingual children, so we don't yet follow any "system" in our home. My wife speaks English fluently, and I speak Japanese less than fluently. We both use both languages with our son and with each other.

But, I want to start using Swedish with my son. My family (grandparents) came to America from Sweden, and I want to expose my son to that side of his heritage. The tricky part is that I don't speak a lick of Swedish. But I'm trying anyway. Here is what I've been doing so far:

1) I bought some textbooks a couple months ago and I'm starting to learn some Swedish.

2) I downloaded some Swedish children's songs and learned the words to some of them. I sing them to Noah pretty much everyday and we pop in the cds from time to time too.

3) I gave his stuffed animals Swedish animal names (his monkey is named "Apa", his rhino is named "Noshrning", etc). I haven't started talking to him in Swedish yet, but I do talk to him about his animals in English, using their Swedish names ("Noah! Your monkey Apa came to see you!. Look! Apa's jumping up and down. He's a silly monkey, isn't he? Let's give Apa a hug.")

4) I made a list of English sentences/phrases I often use with my son, and had a kind Swedish-speaking person translate them into Swedish for me.

I haven't begun talking to Noah in Swedish yet, but I think I will start as soon as this weekend. My plan is to make a daily language schedule, reserving a certain block of time each day to be "Swedish playtime" where I will play with him and speak only Swedish. I'm hoping that by doing this I can give him consistent exposure to Swedish and at the same time improve my own Swedish skills. I also plan on buying some Swedish picture books to read to him. He loves books.

Anyway, I was wondering if other parents have tried exposing their children to a language that they have no proficiency in whatsoever. How did it go? Any other ideas on how to bring more Swedish into my son's life? We live in the countryside in Japan, so I think finding Swedish playmates is impossible. Is it a lost cause? Should we move to Sweden? :) Thoughts/comments on my methods? Any response will be much appreciated!

Forum: Non-native Speakers

remembering a "forgotten" language

Stephanie — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:37:54 GMT

Hello, my 5 year old was completely fluent in Portuguese when we lived in Brazil as expats. Now that we've returned to the U.S. (its been over a year now) she's no longer capable of speaking. She refuses to allow me to speak to her in Portuguese (not my native language) although I sometimes read to her the portuguese books we have and have her watch portugese dvds from time to time. As much as I try I've come to accept that she may forget it completely. I'm wondering how easily it will come back to her if she has the opportunity to hear it again in the future? Is there some time threshold that will make it completely lost and she'll have to learn it all over again?

Forum: Your Questions -- General