Question for those in/from Multilingual Homes

Started by derspiess, April 10, 2009, 10:07:41 AM

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derspiess

April 10, 2009, 10:07:41 AM
Okay, so before Tommy was born I granted the wife permission to speak to him in Spanish.  We've been scrounging for info on the best way to go about bringing him up learning both languages.  Maybe there's no right or wrong way to do it, but I figured I'd ask here & other places for some insight.

Tom is just over 14 months old now & has been developing pretty normally.  His motor skills are normal & seems to be on target with everything else.  He's been picking up miscellaneous words, and can understand many more words/phrases in both English and Spanish.  He sort of shocked us yesterday when the wife asked if he wanted to watch another episode of Pocoyo & he promptly responded, "Si".

We started using flash cards (letters, numbers, pictures) with him almost as a joke a few weeks ago (seemed too early), and he likes them so much now that he'll bring them to us, like he would a book he wants us to read.

What feels weird to me is that the wife does the flash cards in Spanish, and I do them in English.  I wonder if we should just do one language to start with so he doesn't get too confused, or if we should just continue throwing them at him in both languages and let him sort it all out.  Any thoughts from anyone who is either raising kids in 2 languages or came from a multilingual household?

Maybe the wife & I are overthinking things (e.g., she's already freaking out on what his 3rd language should be :D )
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

Valmy

#1
April 10, 2009, 10:13:08 AM Last Edit: April 10, 2009, 10:20:58 AM by Valmy
I have friends who are raising their kid to speak English and French and he seemed to have no problem understanding Dad and his family speak French while Mom and her family speak English.  Fortunately there is a bilingual (well trilingual actually) school in Austin he can go to so he can meet other French speaking kids.

By the way I think you are doing an enormous service to your kid.  Knowing Spanish is a nice asset to have.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

HVC

#2
April 10, 2009, 10:19:22 AM
I spoke mainly portuguese until the age of 4 or so until i went to preschool. There was a bit of difficulty when i entered school becasue i was behind the other kids in english language ability. But it didn't take long. Kids have an amazing ability to absorb languages.
Being lazy is bad; unless you still get what you want, then it's called "patience".
Hubris must be punished. Severely.

Valmy

#3
April 10, 2009, 10:20:08 AM
Quote from: HVC on April 10, 2009, 10:19:22 AM
I spoke mainly portuguese until the age of 4 or so until i went to preschool. There was a bit of difficulty when i entered school becasue i was behind the other kids in english language ability. But it didn't take long. Kids have an amazing ability to absorb languages.

Do you still speak Portuguese?
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Ed Anger

#4
April 10, 2009, 10:22:16 AM
This "multilingual" stuff sounds dangerously European and fruity.
Stay Alive...Let the Man Drive

HVC

#5
April 10, 2009, 10:22:59 AM
Quote from: Valmy on April 10, 2009, 10:20:08 AM
Quote from: HVC on April 10, 2009, 10:19:22 AM
I spoke mainly portuguese until the age of 4 or so until i went to preschool. There was a bit of difficulty when i entered school becasue i was behind the other kids in english language ability. But it didn't take long. Kids have an amazing ability to absorb languages.

Do you still speak Portuguese?
Yup. Taught myself to read at around 16. still can't write it though.

Kind of a useless skill, truth be told. i only use it with family, and even then english is interchangable.
Being lazy is bad; unless you still get what you want, then it's called "patience".
Hubris must be punished. Severely.

HVC

#6
April 10, 2009, 10:24:27 AM
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 10, 2009, 10:22:16 AM
This "multilingual" stuff sounds dangerously European and fruity.
you should teach you multitudinous broad spanish. If conservative news networks have to right, you'll soon be over run by mexicans :p
Being lazy is bad; unless you still get what you want, then it's called "patience".
Hubris must be punished. Severely.

Sheilbh

#7
April 10, 2009, 10:24:32 AM
Multilingual's good and your wife's right to think about the third language.  Children learn language really easily until puberty, if they already know more than one then their brain's wired to make learning ones in the future far easeir.

My little brother went to a Gaelic medium primary school and nursery.  But Gaelic wasn't really used at home because only my dad spoke it a bit.
Let's bomb Russia!

The Larch

#8
April 10, 2009, 10:27:44 AM
Quote from: derspiess on April 10, 2009, 10:07:41 AMHe sort of shocked us yesterday when the wife asked if he wanted to watch another episode of Pocoyo & he promptly responded, "Si".



In Spanish or in English?  ;)

And, AFAIK, you can't understimate the ability of small children to absorb knowledge.  :)

Valmy

#9
April 10, 2009, 10:28:22 AM
Quote from: HVC on April 10, 2009, 10:22:59 AM
Yup. Taught myself to read at around 16. still can't write it though.

Kind of a useless skill, truth be told. i only use it with family, and even then english is interchangable.

Take vacations to Brazil :P
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Valmy

#10
April 10, 2009, 10:30:03 AM
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 10, 2009, 10:24:32 AM
Children learn language really easily until puberty, if they already know more than one then their brain's wired to make learning ones in the future far easeir.

Yeah I learned to speak and read and write French as an adult.  Once outside of France I quickly forgot most of it and have not really had much facility to learn anything else.  My brain just does not retain the information very well.  Sometimes I wonder if I moved to a French speaking place if it would all come back to me...
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

HVC

#11
April 10, 2009, 10:33:31 AM
Quote from: Valmy on April 10, 2009, 10:28:22 AM
Quote from: HVC on April 10, 2009, 10:22:59 AM
Yup. Taught myself to read at around 16. still can't write it though.

Kind of a useless skill, truth be told. i only use it with family, and even then english is interchangable.

Take vacations to Brazil :P
South America is highly over rated... and dangerous :p
Being lazy is bad; unless you still get what you want, then it's called "patience".
Hubris must be punished. Severely.

derspiess

#12
April 10, 2009, 10:33:35 AM
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 10, 2009, 10:22:16 AM
This "multilingual" stuff sounds dangerously European and fruity.

I know-- I came close to putting up "English Only" signs all through the house.

FWIW, I've got the wife on-board with making German his 3rd language.  She had wanted it to be Italian :huh:.  Thankfully she wasn't pushing for French :D
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

HVC

#13
April 10, 2009, 10:35:43 AM Last Edit: April 10, 2009, 10:37:36 AM by HVC
Quote from: Valmy on April 10, 2009, 10:30:03 AM
Quote from: Sheilbh on April 10, 2009, 10:24:32 AM
Children learn language really easily until puberty, if they already know more than one then their brain's wired to make learning ones in the future far easeir.

Yeah I learned to speak and read and write French as an adult.  Once outside of France I quickly forgot most of it and have not really had much facility to learn anything else.  My brain just does not retain the information very well.  Sometimes I wonder if I moved to a French speaking place if it would all come back to me...
My dad used to be fluent in French because they had to learn it in school when he was little. He even lived in quebec when he first came over to canada. 7 years after leaving quebec he forgot it all lol. so i don't think how old you were when you learned a language matters as much as perpetual use of a language.
Being lazy is bad; unless you still get what you want, then it's called "patience".
Hubris must be punished. Severely.

Valmy

#14
April 10, 2009, 10:39:48 AM
Quote from: derspiess on April 10, 2009, 10:33:35 AM
Thankfully she wasn't pushing for French :D

Why?  Then he could spy on our French and Canadian enemies.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."
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