Bilingual Children

GROWING CONCERNS: A childrearing question-and-answer column with Martha Erickson of the University of Minnesota.

Question:

Spanish is my primary language, but my wife and most people around us speak English. Our two-year-old understands both languages, but I wonder, if I'm the only one speaking Spanish to her, will she be able to speak fluent Spanish when she's older? Or will we confuse her by using both languages?

Answer:

Young children have a remarkable capacity to learn languages and to move with relative ease from one language to another. In the early years a child in a bilingual home may sometimes mix the two languages in the same sentence ("Leche, please," for example). But over time a child
learns to discern more clearly between the languages and, with practice, learns to speak consistently and coherently within each.

How fluent your child becomes in Spanish will depend on frequent, ongoing opportunities to hear and speak it. So you are wise to have started early. Not only does this give your daughter a head start on learning to speak Spanish, but it also allows you to interact with your daughter in your most comfortable language. Many parents say they feel more relaxed and natural when they speak in their primary language, and that in turn helps them feel closer to their child. And of course using your native language with your child--telling her stories, singing Spanish songs, or teaching her nursery rhymes--will be a wonderful way to help her understand and appreciate her cultural heritage.

For more information about the joys and challenges of raising children in a bilingual home, search on the Internet for "bilingual education." There are numerous Web sites run for and by parents, offering support and helpful ides. Buena suerte!

Editor's Note: Dr. Martha Farrell Erickson, director of the University of Minnesota's Children, Youth and Family Consortium, invites your questions on child rearing for possible inclusion in this column. E-mail to mferick@tc.umn.edu or write to Growing Concerns, University of Minnesota News Service, 6 Morrill Hall, 100 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.

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