Mini Module 3:
Myths About Learning a Second Language
People everywhere have strong ideas about children growing up with
a second or third language. These ideas influence how people interact
with their children and how they look at other people's children.
These ideas also influence how professionals such as teachers, doctors,
and speech therapists advise parents of children growing up bilingually.
One of the purposes of this article is to dispel some common myths
about children growing up bilingually and to offer suggestions that
can help children to become fluent users of two or more languages.
A bilingual environment is most often
a necessity, not a choice
Many discussions of the advantages or disadvantages of early bilingualism
seem to be based on the idea that a bilingual environment is something
that parents choose for their children.
This, however, is usually not the case; young children growing
up bilingually are for the most part doing so because there is no
way that they can grow up monolingually. For example, it may be
the case that the child interacts regularly with monolingual individuals,
some of whom speak one language (e.g., teachers and classmates who
speak only Italian), others of whom speak another (e.g., parents
who speak only French).
Hearing two or more languages in childhood
is not a cause of language disorder or language delay
All over the Western world, there are speech therapists and medical
doctors who advise parents of young children growing up with more
than one language to stop using one of those languages with their
children. Typically, the language to be given up is the language
that is not used in the overall environment. For example, speech
therapists in the United States often suggest that parents stop
using Spanish at home in favor of English, while speech therapists
in Flanders may advise parents to stop speaking English in favor
of Dutch.
The common reason for this advice is twofold. First, it is often
claimed that hearing two or more languages will confuse the child
and lead to grave problems in acquiring language. Second, it is
claimed that the acquisition of the main language of the environment
will stand a better chance without competition from the other language.
However, there is no scientific evidence to date that hearing two
or more languages leads to delays or disorders in language acquisition.
In addition, there is no scientific evidence that giving up one
language automatically has a beneficial effect on the other. In
fact, the abrupt end of the use of the home language by a child's
parents may lead to great emotional and psychological difficulties
both for the parents and for the child. After all, language is strongly
linked to emotion, affect, and identity.
Children's use of two languages within
one sentence is not a sign of confusion
Often, it is claimed that small children who are learning to speak
two languages go through a stage of mixing and confusing the two.
The use of words from both languages in a single sentence is cited
as evidence that the child cannot distinguish between the two languages,
but in reality, this is not a sign of confusion. In fact, it has
been shown that the use of two languages in one sentence by mature
bilinguals reveals a great deal of linguistic skill (Romaine,
1995).
It is also true that, while young bilingual children sometimes
use words from two languages in the same sentence, they produce
far more sentences using only one language. This clearly shows that
they are able to keep their languages separate.
Children do not just "pick up"
a language: They need a strongly supportive and rich environment
A prevailing idea is that it is very easy for children to learn
a new language and that hardly any effort is involved.
However, learning language, even one, is a process that takes many
years. Languages are very complex. The environment plays an important
role in learning to speak. Children learn to speak only when they
hear people talk to them in many different circumstances. Language
development in the early stages depends crucially on vocabulary
knowledge. The more words children know, the better they will learn
to speak and the better their chances of doing well in school.
Book reading is an excellent source of help in the acquisition
of vocabulary. Book reading in any language, even when a baby can
hardly sit up yet, plays a highly supportive role not only in the
learning of language but also in the emotional bonding between child
and parent.
Recommendations for parents
Although it is not possible here to spell out all the things that
parents should consider when their child is in a situation where
he or she could learn to speak more than one language, the brief
list of pointers below offers some assistance.
Here are a few basic points that are important in raising children
with more than one language:
Do what comes naturally to you and your family in terms of which
language(s) you use when, but make sure your children hear both
(or all three or four) languages frequently and in a variety of
circumstances. Create opportunities for your children to use all
of the languages they hear. Read books to and with your children
in each of the languages that are important to their lives.
Talk to all your children in the same way--not, for instance, using
one language with the elder and another language with the younger.
Language is tied to emotions, and if you address your children in
different languages, some of your children may feel excluded, which
in turn might adversely affect their behavior.
Avoid abrupt changes in how you talk to your children, especially
when they are under 6. Don't suddenly decide to speak French to
them if you have only been using English. In this respect, beware
of "experts" (e.g., doctors, teachers) who tell you to
stop speaking a particular language to your child.
If you feel strongly about your children using one particular
language with you, encourage them to use it in all of their communication
with you. Ask them to repeat what they said in the preferred language
or gently offer them the appropriate words in the language you want
them to use. It is no more cruel than asking your child to say "please"
before giving her a cookie.
Do not make language an issue, and do not rebuke or punish children
for using or not using a particular language. If you feel your child
is not talking as he or she should in the preschool years, have
a hearing test done, even if teachers or doctors tell you that bilingualism
is the cause of any language delays. Whatever else, follow your
own intuition about what is best for you and your family
Now take this short true/false quiz on the material you
just read:
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