Child's language

[FlagOnce]

Okay, you have now a complicated problem under your hands: you can't easily ask child about their languages' choices, even if you can try to take it into account, and you still have to choose a language to make them learn according to the scholar system. Even if it's not especially what you want, it is mandatory.

So, how to choose the right language? How to give the best and most useful knowledge to the child? Because after all, a wrong choice will have a learning cost meaning your child will do efforts for nothing and would have basically wasted his time. That's the problem. And your liking isn't especially the best learning choice for your child.

[Wanda Kaishin]

Simple - you only talk to your child in your native tongue, as they recommend. Am I missing your point?

[lingualbabe]

I think it depends on which country you live or will spend most of you life. If for example, me, my child is a Filipino, then I will teach him our native language. As he lives here, he was given birth here and we will spend most of our lives in here. So for me, it's important for him to learn his language as a Filipino first.

 

If he grows up and decides that he does want to learn English or even if he is capable of processing two languages, then I will teach him English. If he wants to learn other languages even, I will gladly enrol him in classes. But since he's still a baby now, I think it's wise to teach him his native language.

[czarina84]

A lot of teaching a child a second language depends upon what you have available.  For instance, if you speak one language, you are at the mercy of the school system.  My school only taught French or Spanish.  My plan was to take two years of French and two years of Spanish for my electives and then build upon what I was taught, so that I could become trilingual.  However, I was told that two years fulfilled my language requirement and I wasn't allowed to take more.  Basically, I was denied any extra learning.  If you speak a few different languages, I would speak to your child in each language.  Just say a few sentences.  The language that your child likes best should be the one that you teach him/her.  

[FlagOnce]

A lot of teaching a child a second language depends upon what you have available.  For instance, if you speak one language, you are at the mercy of the school system.  My school only taught French or Spanish.  My plan was to take two years of French and two years of Spanish for my electives and then build upon what I was taught, so that I could become trilingual.  However, I was told that two years fulfilled my language requirement and I wasn't allowed to take more.  Basically, I was denied any extra learning.  If you speak a few different languages, I would speak to your child in each language.  Just say a few sentences.  The language that your child likes best should be the one that you teach him/her.  

 

When you're thinking about having a child, if you really want to make that language learnt, you could start by learning it yourself and after you have few years to get fluent inside this language.

Simple - you only talk to your child in your native tongue, as they recommend. Am I missing your point?

 

Yes, you're missing my point.
In school systems, you can't only say "you learn one language". When you're at school, quickly, you're enforced to learn other languages. So at one moment, you're enforced as well to choose a secondary language the child would have to learn. So my question is how would you negotiate the choice, will it depend of the child and how could depend on it? As well, what other languages would you try to teach to your child, outside of the mandatory native and secondary?

[Wanda Kaishin]

You didn't write anything about schools in your first post, so thanks for clarifying. Maybe things have changed, but when I went to school here in the US we didn't start learning foreign languages until high school. At that age, I think it's unwise for the parent to try to get involved with the child's decision. Let the child choose; maybe she'll actually stay with it that way.

And outside of school, I'm sticking with my previously stated opinion. Please don't teach anyone a language which you aren't a native speaker of. It messes up their accent, grammar, word selection and probably a lot of other things. 

[FlagOnce]

You didn't write anything about schools in your first post, so thanks for clarifying. Maybe things have changed, but when I went to school here in the US we didn't start learning foreign languages until high school. At that age, I think it's unwise for the parent to try to get involved with the child's decision. Let the child choose; maybe she'll actually stay with it that way.

And outside of school, I'm sticking with my previously stated opinion. Please don't teach anyone a language which you aren't a native speaker of. It messes up their accent, grammar, word selection and probably a lot of other things. 

Here's my first post:

[...] and you still have to choose a language to make them learn according to the scholar system. Even if it's not especially what you want, it is mandatory. [...]

I can't tell since I'm not from U.S., but I know I am studying a language since a lot of time and I was enforced to at least at college, not high school. It didn't helped me a lot to understand the language, but still. So maybe it depends of the country. You had to learn Spanish because the 2nd official language on U.S. is Spanish?

Meanwhile, you can be only native only with one language on your life, think about it. And me, if I would have to teach English to someone who needs help, I would go ahead, because I would only do better than nothing. Yes, I'm not the best, but I think I know enough given how often I write in English and that knowledge is already important.

[Wanda Kaishin]

Yeah, I didn't know what you meant by "learn according to the scholarly system". You probably wanted to say something like "you have to choose a language for your child to take in school". And I understand your point regarding teaching a language that isn't your mother tongue; I just disagree with it.

[czarina84]

 

When you're thinking about having a child, if you really want to make that language learnt, you could start by learning it yourself and after you have few years to get fluent inside this language.

 

 

 

Yeah, but I didn't have the resources to learn a foreign language fluently before I had my child.  I live in a rural area, where everyone speaks English and, honestly, they are a bit xenophobic.  I'm not proud of that fact; it's just the truth.  I have run into two people in my life who spoke a different language.  One was a relationship that ended badly, so asking him to teach me is not really an option.  The other was a friend who started to teach me, but we ended up losing touch after she had her third child and I moved.  Now, it's easier to learn because you could have an internet friend to speak with and sites like these.  I didn't have access to the internet from my home as a child and teenager.  We had trouble buying food, much less a computer.  I didn't grow up with these privileges.  For people who can afford these things, your advice is very good, though. 

[kurdapia]

It depends where we are located or if we have plans of relocating soon. It would be better for the child to learn a second language in an environment where he can use it on a daily basis to facilitate better learning. That way the child's effort to learn may not be put to waste because he or she can apply what he learned right away. 

[FlagOnce]

Yeah, but I didn't have the resources to learn a foreign language fluently before I had my child.  I live in a rural area, where everyone speaks English and, honestly, they are a bit xenophobic.  I'm not proud of that fact; it's just the truth.  I have run into two people in my life who spoke a different language.  One was a relationship that ended badly, so asking him to teach me is not really an option.  The other was a friend who started to teach me, but we ended up losing touch after she had her third child and I moved.  Now, it's easier to learn because you could have an internet friend to speak with and sites like these.  I didn't have access to the internet from my home as a child and teenager.  We had trouble buying food, much less a computer.  I didn't grow up with these privileges.  For people who can afford these things, your advice is very good, though. 

Well, I live at my time and I have now the privilege to own a computer. I think you do as well and I'm talking about today. When it's about your previous choices when there was not, it's not really your fault, but there was books or movies or DVDs to learn before entering in that digital age. But communication increased with telecoms and Internet, yes, I agree.
So for childs that already chosen a language, don't loose much of your time on it. But in the future, if they want help on another language or for another child, it's still interesting you know.

It depends where we are located or if we have plans of relocating soon. It would be better for the child to learn a second language in an environment where he can use it on a daily basis to facilitate better learning. That way the child's effort to learn may not be put to waste because he or she can apply what he learned right away. 

You're right, but I think for the little childs, you would have better time by initiating them to really illustrative "movies" or shows for the 3 years or so on, and try to make the language learn at that time where what the story is doesn't matter much, but the child is still catching the words somehow. Because after, when you have to learn a language, to still like a content you have to understand it using translation etc.

[xTinx]

I have a cousin who's unable to speak in her native tongue because the parents allowed her to just speak English while growing up. No one really taught her the basics of English but constant exposure to shows like Barney and Friends, Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues encouraged her to speak nothing but English. She understands a bit of the local language but she cannot speak it straight. I think you need to communicate with your child in the two languages she's supposed to learn: a foreign one she's comfortable speaking and the native language of course.

[czarina84]

Well, I live at my time and I have now the privilege to own a computer. I think you do as well and I'm talking about today. When it's about your previous choices when there was not, it's not really your fault, but there was books or movies or DVDs to learn before entering in that digital age. But communication increased with telecoms and Internet, yes, I agree.
So for childs that already chosen a language, don't loose much of your time on it. But in the future, if they want help on another language or for another child, it's still interesting you know.

I wasn't trying to start a fight.  I apologize if you got that impression.  I was just trying to explain my original post, in which I was trying to say that many people don't have those kind of resources. And I am talking about the here and now.  I had to fight my way up from poverty.  Not everyone is given that opportunity.  At the end of my last post, I said that your advice was good for those who have the resources you mentioned.  I wasn't being mean or condescending.  I truly meant that it was good advice for those who were able to take it.   I was saying that for those who don't have any other way to learn, they are kind of at the mercy of the school for what their child learns and how they learn it..  I was just using my own struggles as an example. 

[FlagOnce]

I wasn't trying to start a fight.  I apologize if you got that impression.  I was just trying to explain my original post, in which I was trying to say that many people don't have those kind of resources. And I am talking about the here and now.  I had to fight my way up from poverty.  Not everyone is given that opportunity.  At the end of my last post, I said that your advice was good for those who have the resources you mentioned.  I wasn't being mean or condescending.  I truly meant that it was good advice for those who were able to take it.   I was saying that for those who don't have any other way to learn, they are kind of at the mercy of the school for what their child learns and how they learn it..  I was just using my own struggles as an example. 

 

Deprecating the learning of the native language of the country where you are is a complicated situation. But it depends, after all. If you travel from Italy to Spain and Spain is your home since few years. As well, you don't know everything from Spanish but you still would like to speak Italian because your parents did and so on. So, what's the native language? The language of the country? The language of the parents, grand parents?

I have a cousin who's unable to speak in her native tongue because the parents allowed her to just speak English while growing up. No one really taught her the basics of English but constant exposure to shows like Barney and Friends, Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues encouraged her to speak nothing but English. She understands a bit of the local language but she cannot speak it straight. I think if you need to communicate with your child in the two languages she's supposed to learn: a foreign one she's comfortable speaking and the native language of course.

Thanks for your notes and additional information. That's right, no all have access to Internet or so on. However, I wasn't really angry when writing messages, even if I have hard time to remember precisely my mood at that time.

[jamesbonner]

the native language is so important for the child, but you can talk with him with another good language that you have to choose for him, the best language is english, so if you are a native english speaker you can teach him the French, it's good also

[xTinx]

On 21/10/2015 15:49:43, FlagOnce said:

 

Deprecating the learning of the native language of the country where you are is a complicated situation. But it depends, after all. If you travel from Italy to Spain and Spain is your home since few years. As well, you don't know everything from Spanish but you still would like to speak Italian because your parents did and so on. So, what's the native language? The language of the country? The language of the parents, grand parents?

Thanks for your notes and additional information. That's right, no all have access to Internet or so on. However, I wasn't really angry when writing messages, even if I have hard time to remember precisely my mood at that time.

Well my cousin first learned English through DVDs - not really through the Internet since she didn't even know how to navigate browsers when she was a toddler. Children are very receptive to animated shows so I think it's a good start.