Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Bilingual Baby | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
I am American and my wife is French. We are both fluent in each language and want to raise our eight-month-old girl to be also. Is it a good approach for me to speak nothing but English and her mother nothing but French to the baby? Is it better for us both to speak both languages (e.g., say both words for a given object at first)? Is is better for both of to speak French at home and let her learn English from everyone else (we live in the U.S.)? Is there a better approach?
— Bilingual Couple in Washington, DC | | | ANSWER |
February 20, 2001 | | | Dear Bilingual Couple,
In the normal course of acquiring spoken language, infants are able to listen to the flow of words directed at them and decipher the basic rules of grammar--without anyone ever instructing them. Children who are exposed to two languages during their earliest years often take somewhat longer to figure out basic grammar, because the sample of language they are exposed to is more complex. Still, this added complexity only slows them down temporarily. By age five, they typically are fluent in both languages.
It also often happens that children hear one language at home for the first few years, then are exposed to a second one during preschool. In this case, they usually have no difficulty picking up the second language in a matter of months.
Given that either of these paths to bilingualism works equally well, I think you should do what you are most comfortable doing. As a practical matter, it might be easier to simply speak French at home and let your daughter pick up the English later. Also, I think it might be comforting for a child to understand that Mommy and Daddy speak the same language.
One word of caution, however: For the French-in-the-home option to work, both you and your wife must be truly fluent in French. If not, your child is likely to be exposed to grammatically incorrect and inconsistent language during the period when she must figure out the basic rules. This situation often leads to language delays.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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