Question:
I am a firm believer that a child learning a second language early is
not only important but good for them. I would like to raise my son so
he is at least close to bilingual. Our problem is, neither of us is
fluent in a second language. We both had Spanish in HS, I had French
in college, dabbled in Russian and Japanese on my own. Right now I
am inserting Spanish words that I can remember along with there
English counterpart (ie: dog, cat, not actual sentences). We don't
know anyone who is fluent and can't afford a tutor.
Does anybody have any suggestions to help us teach him?
Answer:
Honestly, it will be very difficult for your child to develop any
fluency in a second language if he doesn't hear it spoken -- and well --
at home or at school. That said, here are some things we've done with
our two kids to keep their language-learning muscles in top shape.
1. My daughter watched Sesame Street from the time she was born.
Literally. Because I had a debilitating illness for several months
starting when she was about 8 weeks old, she would spend at least part
of each day in her baby seat watching SSt. She picked up the Spanish
numbers to 10 and a few other words in the process. I reinforced by
giving her the opportunity to say them to me.
2. My daughter had a Russian baby sitter (part-time) for several months
when she was just learning to talk. Some of her first words were
Russian. She doesn't remember them now, but it was an exposure.
3. We routinely point out other languages and play language games when
we can. I can count to 10 or higher and know many words in about a dozen
languages, and we have fun with that at times. I have CDs of the
musical, Les Miserables, in different languages, and we all listen to
them.
4. My children attend a private school that starts Spanish classes in
kindergarten. They have it once a week in kindergarten and first grade,
twice a week in second and third grade, and three times a week in fourth
and fifth grade. The public schools in our area don't routinely offer
language classes until middle school (which I truly believe is too
late), but many of them offer after-school clubs or classes in Spanish
or other languages. There are a few schools in our public system that
have full-day or part-day immersion programs in Spanish, French, or
Chinese (this one is very pioneering, I'm told; perhaps the only one in
the United States). It doesn't cost extra to attend these, but you have
to petition or apply to get in.
You could try seeking out friends in the community who speak another
language or buying tapes or CDs or CD-ROMs intended for learning another
language (I've seen CD-ROMs for Spanish, French, and German and know
that there are cassette tape programs for just about any language you
can think of). There is a wonderful video language system put out by
BBC, but I don't know how or where to buy it. A friend of mine got one
for her nieces and nephews before they moved to Italy and were very
pleased.
You could sign up to take in an exchange student, but most of them come
here in part to learn English and may resent being asked to give up that
opportunity by speaking their native language in the home. But perhaps
someone who's already here but needs room and board would be willing to
help you all learn their language.
Without a doubt, the best chance a child has for becoming bilingual
would be to live in a community that speaks one language while the child
and his family speaks another at home. If that's not possible, about the
best you can hope for is to maintain an awareness and an "ear for" other
languages and hope they show an interest in learning more.
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