BEING BILINGUAL

Aamina Shakoor, Speech Pathologist, Change for Life.

People who use two languages are often referred to as bilingual and those who speak more than two languages may be referred to as multilingual. A second language can be learnt either simultaneously (at the same time) or sequentially (preferred language first, then second language).

Children who learn more than one language at a time require more time to develop their overall expressive language. However, being bilingual can result in an individual being more connected with their culture, have an increased self-esteem, a greater sense of community as well as more complex thinking skills (Rosenberg, 2002). The earlier that children are exposed to both languages, the easier it is for them to learn the language as well as retaining the native accent. The longer you wait, it is likely for them to be less fluent.

Instead of immersing a child into a second language, it is more beneficial to slowly introduce them. Below are some ideas of how this can be achieved.

Give plenty of opportunities.

The more a child is exposed to a language, the better he/she will become at using and understanding it. Give your child many opportunities to speak and hear both languages in different situations and with different people.

Slow down.

Try not to talk so fast. This doesn’t just apply to parents of bilingual children. Kids will have a much easier time picking up what they hear if you speak at a slower pace.

Set Boundaries

Help your child tell the difference between the languages by having clear boundaries (e.g. using home language with family and English at the shops).

Story time.

Read books in each language to help your child develop reading skills while building vocabulary, sentence structure, phonemic awareness, and learning about the related culture.

How do I teach my child two or more languages?
To be successful in teaching your child two languages it is essential to have a “family language policy”. This is a plan for who will talk to your child in what language and in what context. For example, some families have a “one parent, one language” policy meaning that one parent speaks only in one language (e.g., Spanish) while the other speaks only in English to the child.

Things to remember with bilingual children:
Bilingual children generally develop language the same way. They may proceed through a sequence of learning stages:

• Initially they may go through a silent period while they are listening and learning new words.
• They will develop language at the same rate as children learning one language i.e. first words around one year and joining words together around two years of age.
• When learning to talk, children may mix grammar rules, or their sentences may contain words from each language.

References:

Rosenberg, M., (May 2002). Raising Bilingual Children, http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/Articles/Rosenberg-Bilingual.html

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/bilingual

www.youtube.com/SESLHD