Some things parents of bilingual children experience seem to be universal. As a parent of a bilingual or multilingual child, you become more aware of your native language and you may also consciously try to improve your own skills. In today’s world, there is an infinite number of things parents can potentially worry about or feel pressure for. Adding another language to that brings a new dimension to parenthood. You have to ensure that your child gets enough exposure to all languages and be on a constant look-out for language resources. To make up for the lack of materials, you probably end up being more creative than you thought you would ever be.
“Today’s kids don’t want to learn our language”, “Once they go to school it will all be out of the window”, “We really tried but our children just didn’t want to know”. Probably every bilingual person knows parents who have not been successful in passing on their...
“You must start when he is a small baby!”, “No point trying after he has turned three!”, “Definitely begin before he goes to school!”, “Older than seven and he will not get fluent!”, “He’s a teenager – no way!” Those are some of the answers you may get – and do you...
[ted id=1075] Today I want to share with you a talk by Patricia Kuhl, Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. It is a fascinating insight into how small babies pick up distinct features of a language. The talk only lasts about ten...
If you are a parent and a second or later generation immigrant to a country you may have concerns about your own knowledge of the language you want to pass on to your children. Maybe the language use in the family while you were growing up wasn’t that consistent....
How many of us parents of bilingual children haven’t heard that comment? It might put doubts in your mind – are you actually doing more harm than good to your child’s development? The simple answer is: no, you are not disadvantaging your children by bringing them up...