Kids with Two Languages

[magicvw]

Hi

Anybody else out there who is (or will be) bringing up kiddies in a bilingual environment?

My LO is just 3 and struggling to learn English and Bulgarian (we are both UK but live in Bulgaria). It's pretty tough for her right now as her language is well behind her thoughts and it's very frustrating for her (and us). I've heard that bilingual kids often have a slow start, but it would be nice to chat to other mums (and dads) who are going through the same.

Magic x

 

[pennysbored]

Well, I don't have bilingual child(ren) yet, but we are planning on putting the kids in German school as soon as they are old enough. Its from their dad's side of the family. Betty's dad speaks german to her occasionally, and well, the other isn't even born yet, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[sophxx]

when i have my baby they will be bilingual!

there dad and his family are asian so we will teach iy urdu as well as english and prob arabic wen its a little older! xx

 

[Mynx]

My OH is half welsh and half portugese and we'd like our baby to learn at least a little of each language

 

[magicvw]

Well, I don't have bilingual child(ren) yet, but we are planning on putting the kids in German school as soon as they are old enough. Its from their dad's side of the family. Betty's dad speaks german to her occasionally, and well, the other isn't even born yet, so we'll see how it goes.

Hi pennysbored! Thanks for the reply! Do you mean put them in a German school for the whole time, or just for extra German lessons? How old will they be?

Here the normal school starting age is 7, which I think is really late. Poppy goes to kindergarten and has been there a year, but I don't think the other kids understand her as her speech is so jumbled! It's cool that your kids will have both languages at home - I think that makes it easier. x

 

[magicvw]

:wave: Mynx and Sophxx! Are you planning on just letting the kids soak up the language or something like lessons? Will you start them on the 2nd language straight away or wait till they've learnt some English? xxx

 

[Mynx]

OH speaks Welsh fluently (as does his mum) and his dad speaks many languages including his native portugese.
I think what we're going to do is let the baby soak up the languages rather than sending her off to lessons, so it'll probably be the odd word here and there in Welsh/Portugese and build it up a little more as she learns more English. It'll be good for me too cos then I'll pick up more Welsh than I know now (I know to say cake, potato and kiss )
It's a difficult one really cos we would really love for her to learn the family languages, but so hard to know where to start!

 

[caz81]

Our daughter will be learning English, Tamil & Polish!!

 

[magicvw]

Wow caz- that's a good mix!

Mynx - it's different for us because we only have English as the family language but the kids will have to be fluent in Bulgarian as we live here. But I think while they're still small all you can do is talk to them in whatever language it is you want them to learn- that's what I've found anyway. Poppy is behind in both languages, but I think that's normal because her poor brain is overloaded right now. If I try to "teach" her something (I'm an English teacher anyway!) she won't learn it. (Whereas she will learn words that she's not supposed to learn like "crap" in a split second! ) She seems to learn a lot from story books and songs, and she learns little phrases from the other kids at nursery.

 

[sophxx]

well ohs family speak mostly urdu at home all the time so the babywill just be around it all the time at home we ll speak english but at grandmas urdu so hopeing they will pick it up them selfs! oh speaks arabic but will prob send lessons the baby to lessons to learn thatxx

 

[jms895]

Hi ladies I would like any advice on this

My OH is half german (his mum is german) and she wants to teach Caine German to be flient like my OH. We visit the family in Germany etc and I really want him to learn it.

I read the sooner the better so they get the phonetics, sounds etc and MIL is willing to do it now, she sings in German and says the odd thing.
Am I right in thinking its best to start now?

Thanks

 

[magicvw]

Hi jms895

I personally think the earlier the better, (but i have read things that say it's better to wait until the kid has a good grasp of the 1st language). (In my situation we don't have any choice anyway.) I have also read that very young babies can distinguish different sounds much more easily and this is something that gets more difficult as they grow up. So it's good to expose your kids to the sounds of German from an early age if you want them to have a good pronunciation.

My daughter can learn words in any language, I discovered, if it's a song. She knows loads in English and Bulgarian, so as a kind of experiment, I taught her "Frere Jacques" in French and she learnt it after about 3 repeats. She doesn't know what any of the words mean of course, but then I don't think she knows what half the words mean in the English songs either! But it's a start and it gets their mouths used to forming the words.

Does your MIL live near you? I think they would need a lot of practice to get fluent, rather than just visits now and then?

 

[jms895]

Thanks Magicvw

Yes MIL lives on the next street and see Caine often! I cant wait for him to be able to speak it I will ask her to start right away....

You have a clever little daughter

 

[butrfly]

my son is to speak four languages.

English will be his first language, though. He will most prolly learn Indonesian next as we live in Indonesia and his nanny is Indonesian and spends a lot of time with him.

His dad speaks Swedish to him whilst I speak to him in Tagalog. Hopefully he'll be able to absorb all these languages without any problem. I've seen some of my students manage to juggle their languages easy and hope that Elijah will be the same.

 

[jms895]

butrfly thats ace, he will be a clever little boy!

 

[emmajane]

Hey all! My OH is Spanish so he is talking to him when he can in spanish, but as I don't speak it, it makes it quite difficult. I already think he might be behind other children with his language but know it will be worthwhile in the long run. OH is also fluent in french but we're not sure when to add that too??

 

[jms895]

I would add it, the earlier the better I have read too!

 

[morri]

Hi ladies I would like any advice on this

My OH is half german (his mum is german) and she wants to teach Caine German to be flient like my OH. We visit the family in Germany etc and I really want him to learn it.

I read the sooner the better so they get the phonetics, sounds etc and MIL is willing to do it now, she sings in German and says the odd thing.
Am I right in thinking its best to start now?

Thanks

I have a friend who is half irish half German and he said he picks a lot of things up from songs because his sister isnt as good. He is about the only native English speaking person I know who gets the articles right. (and he says that his sister can't do them right)

I by the way haven't got children actually yet but when I have them, they should grow up billiungual too, English /German, as I am German, and my OH is English speaking South african

All I have read said that children have a natural ability to learn any langauge they are exposed to. as long as they are interacting with the person. (So they wont learnt it from tv that easyily because thats not interacting)

The brother in-law of my father has a serbian wife and his kids speak both too .(serbian/german)

 

[jms895]

I love Germany

The language scares me though... the words are so long

 

[morri]

I am sure sri lankan words are longer xD- and basically you can split the words to amke it single words like in English too xD