A Double Life: Raising Bilingual Children
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- rkhen
- park123
- booterhead
- hkwhd
- jmhartle
- jellybean092003
- awhege
- sjasbury
- jdanders
- ljlonguncgedu
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» rkhen - Hi Alexander, Traute, and Edward.
Hi Alexander, Traute, and Edward. Nice to see you all again. I'm just back from Christmas holiday. Since we seem to have dodged the Y2K bullet, I have an opportunity to respond to your excellent comments.There's no doubt that the word "bilingual" can easily be replaced with "multilingual" in the article. Multilingual individuals are quite common in the world, particularly among people who grew up in ethnically-diverse communities. In the end, I think it boils down to attitude. Some people avail themselves of the opportunities such diversity presents, and others curse it.
In terms of teaching children their immigrant parents' language, I think it's one of the most valuable gifts one generation can give another. Although I've often met people who wish they spoke one of their languages better, I've never met anyone who said to me, "I sure wish I didn't speak more than one language. Damn my parents for teaching me theirs!" Quite the opposite; most cherish their "family" language.
As it happens, I'm familiar with the Crawford site. And I entirely agree; it's a gold mine. Don't stop by unless you can afford to spend an hour or so engrossed in reading.
Thanks again for all the participation, and it's nice to see you all here on the north side of New Years.
-- posted by rkhen
» park123 - parents who want to raise their child bilingual
my husband and are soon to be first time parents. we plan to raise our child bilingual. we have done some research about this, but are curious to talk to someone who has done this. what were your biggest concerns? how did you address them? do you think that there is anything you could have done different? do you have any regrets? what kinds of difficulties/challenges have you and your family faced with this issue? what is your best peice of advice? these are some of the questions that we have been wondering about and would like to hear from someone who has " been in our shoes". thanks!-- posted by park123
» booterhead - classwork
Please help with a class assignment. I interested in and looking for the best ways to go about raising a bilingual child. If you have done this, please share your experiences or answer a couple questions.Thanks.
Booterhead
1. What benefits have you seen from raising your child bilingually?
2. What method did you employ to teach your child?
3. Did learning several languages simultaneously help or hinder your child's progress with each?
4. What do you recommend?
-- posted by booterhead
» hkwhd - Teaching a bilingual child the written word
I know of several grown children who were raised in bilingual homes. The languages were usually Spanish and English. The one problem that they all encountered was that although they could speak both languages fluently they could only read and write in English. How can a family be sure that a child can also be literate in their second language?Another problem I have heard of is a child being frustrated when they are alone with the English speaking parent. I know a family with a 3 year old son and he randomly decides which language to use. If he is with his father, who only speaks English, but he decides he wants to speak the Swedish that he hears from his mother he gets very frustrated. The Dad has tried to learn a little of the language, but is finding it very difficult. Any suggestions?
-- posted by hkwhd
» jellybean092003 - Assignment For An Online Class..HDF
What does it mean for your child to be Bilingual?What disadvantages do bilingual children have and the effects on their childhood?
What advantages do bilingual children have from learning for an example two different languages?
Does your child become confused if he or she is raised with two languages?
-- posted by jellybean092003
» ljlonguncgedu - Bilingual...HDF 302
I work in at a school as a teacher assistant, and of course I deal with children of many different backgrounds. However, one the thing that has always caught my attention and made me wonder and think about on the affect on a children, is when a child lives in a bilingual household. I think that it would be definitely harder for a younger child of like 3-6 yrs to handle simply learning to master language and then given two, I always wonder about the affects. Therefore, I would like to know what kind of techniques do you use to help teach a child two languages? What are the main struggles in helping a child develop two languages, and if one language comes harder than another for a child? I personally believe that a child being bilinguial is very beneficial and could help take one very far in this very diverse world.-- posted by ljlonguncgedu
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